In collaboration with the New Jersey State Policy Lab, the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development will conduct a study to understand how New Jersey’s public AI initiatives can better meet the needs of the state’s small businesses, particularly minority- and women-owned firms, as they increasingly engage with and deploy AI. Through a series of focus groups, labor market analysis, and examination of the literature, this project will investigate how small businesses in New Jersey currently perceive, use, and plan to use AI in an effort to inform New Jersey’s public AI initiatives that support this critical segment of the workforce.
This study will build upon the Heldrich Center’s prior research for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority focused on AI in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors. This research initiative expands the scope of inquiry to encompass the small business community in New Jersey, which is an essential driver of the state’s economy that remains underrepresented in AI-related research. Investigating how these firms perceive and adopt AI will reveal both common and unique challenges and opportunities, enabling the state to tailor evidenced-based supportive interventions. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has emphasized, AI is becoming essential for small enterprises to compete, helping them automate tasks, optimize operations, and access data-driven information once reserved for large firms (Hall, 2025). Centering this research on the experiences of small, minority-, and women-owned businesses will highlight the strategies these firms employ, the barriers they encounter, and the opportunities they can leverage through AI adoption.
These findings will serve as the foundation for a future statewide analysis, including a survey of small businesses. This work, coupled with future research, will support the state in establishing informed, ethical, and equitable AI policy frameworks that address the needs and realities of small businesses in New Jersey.
Future blog posts will share research updates and preliminary findings as the study progresses.
References:
Hall, S. (2025, October 8). How AI can help small businesses compete and grow. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/how-ai-can-help-small-businesses-compete-and-grow