During a trade mission to the United Kingdom, Gov. Phil Murphy extolled the dynamism of the New Jersey economy, citing Princeton University as a significant contributor.

Craig Arnold, Princeton’s vice dean of innovation and University innovation officer, was in the audience in London on Nov. 7 when Murphy talked about the bright future for making the state a center for the advancement of artificial intelligence initiatives.

“We think we have a big generative AI opportunity,” Murphy said at the Financial Times’ Future of AI summit. “We’ve already announced a big joint venture with Princeton University,” he said, referring to the Princeton-based New Jersey AI Hub.

“Princeton is one of the premier universities, if not the premier university in the world, particularly in the STEM fields, engineering, plasma physics,” the governor said. “You’re known by the company you keep, and the fact that the State of New Jersey is in business with Princeton University is a statement, a volitional, intentional statement that we mean business around the development of this realm (AI), and we’re already seeing evidence of it.”

Noting that the New York-New Jersey region has a strong concentration of STEM and AI talent, Murphy added, “Clearly, Princeton is a big part of that.”

“It’s a privilege to represent Princeton in these international missions and to help build the state’s ecosystem,” said Arnold, who heads Princeton’s newly launched Office of Innovation.

Arnold participated in several meetings during the governor’s trade mission, including a British-American business round-table discussion Nov. 8.

The UK trip was part of a continuing series of international meetings arranged by Choose New Jersey to encourage companies overseas to set up shop in the Garden State.

Last fall, Princeton representatives accompanied Gov. Murphy to East Asia, and that trip has spawned subsequent conversations on collaborations between companies and the University. On Nov. 18, Princeton hosted a delegation from the Japan External Trade Organization at which the visitors learned about the AI Hub and other Princeton initiatives.

Princeton representatives visited Montreal and Toronto as part of a Choose New Jersey trade mission in September. 

Arnold and other Princeton officials will join the New Jersey delegation again in December as part of trade mission, led by Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, to India. Arnold will also speak at alumni events in Bengaluru, India, and Singapore.