high tech
Industries across the Garden State are using AI to automate repetitive processes and spend more time on “human” tasks.
Contributing Writer Jennifer Lesser March 4, 2026
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is currently impacting nearly every industry, from real estate and accounting to healthcare and manufacturing. While concerns regarding the use of AI still range from security issues to ethical considerations, it continues to be touted as a way to automate tasks and enhance efficiency and decision-making. Many Garden State businesses are finding that implementing AI is leading to everything from cost savings to innovation, with AI taking over more repetitive tasks, freeing up human employees to take on more strategic roles, solve complex problems, and grow their businesses.
hospital
Kathy Bennett, president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), notes that New Jersey hospitals and health networks are beginning to use AI to take over some of the routine “behind the scenes” tasks, such as paperwork and scheduling to improve efficiency. She points out that it’s starting to be used for imaging, diagnostic support, and even predicting which patients are likely to develop severe disease. “These tools can help reduce burnout and detect health problems early,” she explains.
However, when it comes to patient care, the use of AI poses many challenges that have not yet been adequately addressed, including whether the technology produces accurate and unbiased results that doctors and nurses can confidently apply in their daily clinical work. “To address this, hospitals are putting in place clear rules and safeguards to ensure that humans, not computers, make the final decisions. Rather than treating AI as a one-off technology project, hospitals are building testing, fairness checks, and data security into system-wide policies,” Bennett says.
banking industry
When it comes to the banking industry, AI is being used in everything from cybersecurity and fraud detection and prevention to marketing and customer service. “AI has many benefits. It can make projects more efficient and save time, improve the customer experience, and drive innovation,” said Michael Affuso, president and CEO of the New Jersey Bankers Association (NJBankers), noting that AI is especially useful because the banking industry is a highly compliance-focused and forms-driven industry. Banks are also using AI not only to import information, but also as a way to check employee work to ensure data is being collected correctly.
“AI limits human errors such as transposing numbers,” Affuso adds. “And on the bank side, AI can be used to help with regulatory compliance, which allows banks to operate more efficiently.”
To this end, NJBankers is placing greater emphasis than ever on educating its members on how to effectively implement AI in their daily operations. Last year, the organization hosted a sold-out AI in Banking Conference. The conference featured sessions on responsible AI adoption, managing fraud in the age of AI, leveraging AI to create personalized customer experiences, and more.
“Our goal is to help our members prepare for the future, and we will continue to incorporate AI education for as long as there is a need,” says Afusso.
This type of education is critical because there are still countless potential problems that AI can cause and human involvement is still required. “Responsible deployment of AI still requires human oversight,” Affuso explains. “There have been reports of AI ‘hallucinations’, where the AI presents false or fabricated data as truth. We also need to ensure that the data entered into the system is valid. If we enter false or unchecked data into the system, it will be reported.”
accounting
Like the banking industry, accounting is also an area that is embracing AI as a tool to automate repetitive tasks such as data entry and invoice processing and minimize human error. Other features include processing live data for instant financial analysis, identifying trends to create more accurate financial forecasts, and analyzing large datasets to flag anomalies and discrepancies to improve risk management.
“AI has not only made the accounting industry more efficient, it has helped create an environment for more strategy, analysis, and growth,” said Aisha (AJ) Johnson, CEO and Executive Director of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA). “However, CPAs and accountants are consummate professionals and, as with any new tool, are cautious about the risks associated with AI implementation. After all, they play a very important role in our society, whether at the executive level of a small business or in the boardroom.”
Karolis Matulis, partner at WilkinGuttenplan, agrees that the main purpose of using AI in the accounting industry is to improve efficiency, and it is being used to better automate administrative tasks such as data entry, invoice processing, and transaction matching. “AI is becoming a tool that can be used to do things that clients don’t necessarily focus on, like creating notes and documents,” he says. “It also allows us to do tax audits more quickly, giving us the freedom to sit down with clients and talk to them about their business, the challenges they’re facing, and help them plan for the future.” “It has the potential to make our industry even more personal because we can let computers do computer jobs and humans do human jobs.”
real estate
Dominic M. Fittizzi, vice chairman of NAI James E. Hanson, agrees that as companies adopt AI, it is important to take the time to educate their teams on how to use AI appropriately and ethically. “Everyone wants to implement this technology into their business, but you have to take the time to understand how to use it and teach them exactly what you want,” he explains, noting that the technology is being used in the real estate industry for everything from scheduling to forecasting. “The old adage ‘time is money’ still holds true, and people are looking for results even faster than before. It used to take 48 hours to get things ready for a client, now it takes 48 minutes with AI.”
Security is also an ongoing issue, as AI systems can unintentionally leak sensitive data (for example, if an employee shares sensitive company data with a public AI tool). “It is essential for companies to have a strategy when implementing AI.
“The implementation plan should include an AI policy that defines how and when AI can be used, and should be shared with all employees. As companies decide to implement AI, it is important to understand the full impact of AI, both good and bad,” Afusso advises.
conclusion
Going forward, the potential impact of AI on the job market is not yet clear, but there are legitimate concerns that AI could completely replace some jobs. “AI will certainly have an impact on jobs. The question is whether it will be a negative or a positive impact. Just as electrification brought about major changes in employment and industry, AI is likely to be similarly revolutionary,” Afusso says.
On the other hand, while some professionals may eventually be phased out, the spread of AI could create jobs and evolve many other types of roles. “Automation and process improvement are nothing new in any industry. People are always looking for ways to get things done faster, and some industries will experience some level of displacement,” Matouris says. “But for many companies, being able to accomplish more means they can serve more customers, grow their business faster, and may ultimately be able to hire more employees.”
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