Dr. Gregory Porumbescu Invited to Join NJ State Artificial Intelligence Task Force Working Group

Dr. Gregory Porumbescu, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark, has been invited to join the AI, Equity, and Literacy Working Group in support of NJ Governor Phil Murphy's AI Task Force. The task force is charged with studying emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and will be responsible for analyzing the potential impacts of AI on society as well as preparing recommendations to identify government actions encouraging the ethical use of AI technologies. Working groups are conducting research through the spring and will then report initial findings to the governor.

Since 2017, Dr. Porumbescu has been at Rutgers SPAA, where he is also the associate director of the Rutgers Transparency and Governance Center (TGC), which focuses on programming, research, and projects related to public sector transparency and governance. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the center helped research the use of technology in Newark and other local governments via a Smart and Connected Cities Project. In 2021, he co-led, with other Rutgers faculty, the initiative to establish a policy lab for the state of New Jersey which looks to improve the quality of data and evidence used by state policy experts to implement policy and program improvements for New Jersey.

His research interests primarily relate to public sector applications of information and communications technology, transparency and accountability, and citizens’ perceptions of public service provision. His work has appeared in The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, Policy & Internet, and Public Performance and Management Review. Dr. Porumbescu has published extensively about digital equity and his recent book, Government Transparency: State of the Art and New Perspectives, presents a multilayered look at transparency.