OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: U.S. Digital Response (USDR), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works alongside governments at all levels to ensure they have the capacity to meet the public's needs, and the New Jersey Department of Labor today launched a set of large language model (LLM) training materials designed to improve language access to unemployment insurance (UI) for both English and Spanish speakers. Developed with support from Google.org, these materials enable government agencies to create their own AI translation assistants for UI content using off-the-shelf generative AI models, allowing any jurisdiction to make public benefits information easier to understand and more accessible. By leveraging these LLM training materials to create a custom AI translation assistant, New Jersey has effectively optimized its statewide generative AI platform to improve language access and to continue paving the way for other states to develop their own tailored solutions.
“For millions of workers, language barriers create frustrating delays in accessing the vital benefits they rely on,” said New Jersey Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “New Jersey continues to lead the way in responsible use of generative AI, now with U.S. Digital Response, supported with pro bono services provided by Google.org, to further transform public services while keeping people at the center of every decision. By making these training materials free and available to all governments, we’re providing public agencies nationwide with the tools they need to improve language access to ensure even more people can receive the support they need and deserve.
“With these training materials, government agencies across our state and the nation can begin leveraging the transformative potential of generative AI to make services more efficient, accessible, and responsive to the needs of all residents - regardless of what language they speak,” said NJ Chief AI Strategist Beth Simone Noveck. “New Jersey’s leadership in AI-assisted translation reflects our broader mission of making technology work for our residents and ensuring it improves their lives. With support from our partners, U.S. Digital Response and Google.org, New Jersey is making government services more accessible to residents with limited English proficiency and setting a new standard for public service innovation.
Millions of people across the U.S. face delays in accessing critical services, like UI, due to limited English proficiency, with 20 million workers speaking English "less than well." Traditional AI solutions offered by software vendors often come with high costs and long-term contracts that lack flexibility and adaptability over time. These new AI resources provide rapid, accurate, and accessible translations at a fraction of the cost, allowing governments to leverage generative AI while keeping human oversight at the forefront, avoiding long-term contracts and saving millions of dollars
“These training materials will enable any government to easily create their own AI translation assistant for unemployment insurance and other benefit programs. It’s a prime example of how we can democratize generative AI for the public good by inviting people with lived experience navigating public benefits to participate in the design process,” said USDR Product Delivery Manager Marcie Chin. “We’re also showing that AI can drive accessibility without financial or operational burdens. This isn’t a technically complex solution — it’s customizable and open-source, giving governments the flexibility to adapt it to their unique needs. By adopting this ‘no-code’ approach, New Jersey is already seeing success in delivering public services that are effective, transparent, and responsible.
With pro bono technical support from Google employees via the Google.org Fellowship Program, USDR and New Jersey used the AI translation assistant to launch a new, comprehensive, plain language English-Spanish UI Glossary. Developed in collaboration with bilingual staff and policy experts, these AI translation training materials ensure that UI translations are accurate and readable for the vast majority of workers in the State. New Jersey’s AI translation assistant has already tripled translation speed and is creating translations that are nearly on par with those of an expert human translator.
These AI translation LLM training materials include the following key capabilities:
- Accurate, culturally relevant, and multilingual training data: Training data specific to UI that has been reviewed by policy experts for accuracy and tested by residents for readability. This approach enables governments to fine-tune a LLM with reliable and responsible data that has gone through a thorough human review process.
- Compatible with commercial AI platforms: Government agencies can use almost any off-the-shelf LLM including ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to develop their own AI translation assistants to produce high-quality, custom translations quickly and affordably, without the need for specialized technology or lengthy contracts.
- Data privacy and transparency: Only publicly available information is translated and templatized content does not contain personal or sensitive information. All training data is publicly accessible.
- Human-centered adoption: These AI translation training materials empower public servants to stay in control while using AI responsibly, enhancing task efficiency and safeguarding integrity and cultural relevance. This allows overworked and understaffed public servants to spend less time on simple, repetitive tasks and more time with residents who need support.
- Long-term maintenance: No developer maintenance is required. These materials are designed to integrate with off-the-shelf LLMs and come with tools to enable maintenance by any non-technical staff.
“This is the latest innovative approach in New Jersey’s ongoing efforts to make government services more accessible, especially for our most vulnerable residents,” said Senior Advisor and Director of NJ Unemployment Insurance Modernization Gillian Gutierrez. “Through the responsible use of AI, we are breaking down language barriers and setting a national standard that shows the power of AI can be harnessed to improve government services in ways that are affordable and flexible, and keep human oversight at the core.”
By launching these AI translation training materials, New Jersey and USDR, with support from Google.org, are empowering states nationwide to responsibly adopt generative AI for critical services. Now available at no cost to government agencies, these training materials provide a faster, more affordable, and customizable alternative to traditional translation vendors.
"At Google.org, we believe technology can help transform how people access essential services," said Head of Technology at Google.org Jen Carter. "Our pro bono support for U.S. Digital Response and the State of New Jersey shows how combining technical expertise with public sector innovation can create solutions that make government services more accessible for everyone.
USDR also provides free training on how to draft and refine prompts so that government employees are empowered to fine-tune the model as needed. Learn more about the development of this AI translation assistant toolkit and how USDR and New Jersey are transforming language access in public services through generative AI.
About U.S. Digital Response
U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works alongside governments at all levels to ensure they have the capacity to support the critical needs of the public. Founded in 2020, USDR connects governments with technology, resources, and support, leaving them better equipped to deliver services and support to millions of people nationwide. To date, USDR has built a dedicated community of over 9,000 volunteers driven to serve in a time of need and has partnered with 400 government and nonprofit partners on more than 400 projects. See more at https://www.usdigitalresponse.org.
About Google.org
Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, brings the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges combining funding, product donations and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone. We engage nonprofits, social enterprises and civic entities who make a significant impact on the communities they serve, and whose work has the potential to produce scalable, meaningful change.
Thumbnail photo by Muhammad Raufan Yusup on Unsplash
