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“This event this year is all about AI,” said TechUnited CEO and Propelify Innovation Festival organizer Aaron Price as he kicked off the 2023 (and eighth) iteration of the annual event Oct. 5 on a picture-perfect fall day at Maxwell Place Park in Hoboken. “Because obviously this has dramatically changed society.”

The Propelify Innovation Festival brings together entrepreneurs, innovators, founders, C-suite leaders, industry experts, political leaders, stakeholders and business leaders for a day of speakers, panels, exhibits and more.

“Please make sure you spend time with these exhibitors and get to understand how they’re leveraging technology, specifically AI, to build this better future,” said Price.

Some of the panel topics included: how AI-driven products can create a cleaner and cooler future; building communities of AI experts; impact of AI on creator economy; combating financial fraud with AI; and much more. More details on the thought-leaders who appeared at the conference and the topics covered can be found here.

Price noted that companies of all sizes were at the festival – and were using AI in different ways to improve their operations and make their businesses more efficient.

“You’ll also see a lot of New Jersey-based colleges and universities here today, all of whom have a master’s in computer science degree with a specialization in AI and a few that actually have a dedicated AI-related degree,” said Price. “So, again, in a very short amount of time, we’re seeing a very big shift in what the world looks like.”

In recorded comments, Gov. Phil Murphy said that New Jersey has long been the innovation state – thanking TechUnited NJ for putting the event together and for building on the state’s incredible legacy of innovation.

“As entrepreneurs and innovators, all of you here are the pioneers of new industries that will fuel our economy for generations to come,” said Murphy. “Artificial intelligence presents us with a new frontier, and it is poised to dramatically transform our lives. So, I’m glad you have chosen to focus on it at this year’s festival. And I’m thrilled to see this event pairs startups with some of our biggest companies like RWJBarnabas, Cross River Bank, and Verizon to explore health care innovation; how we can empower diverse founders; and support and fund new ventures.”

Murphy added that the discussions that attendees had during the festival would help show how New Jersey can lead the way in harnessing new technologies to improve lives.

“Here in New Jersey, we have always been scrappy innovators that have punched well above our weight,” said Murphy. “So, I stand with TechUnited NJ in empowering entrepreneurs and innovators as they help propel us all toward a brighter future filled with opportunity.”

“It’s a special experience because of all of you who show up,” Price added. “We will have amazing topics on stage. I guarantee you will be inspired and learn incredible things – and maybe get hired or start a company based on what you learn and see here today.

“This is an experience to lean in,” he continued. “Our motto is ‘Let’s propel,’ that ‘idle ideas don’t fly.’ An idea just sits there. And unless you give it energy and momentum and life and determination and ambition, it goes nowhere. The culture of this event, the spirit of this event, the cheesy lines we send you all the time to get you to show up here – we genuinely believe. Because, if we think we can build a better future and a better society, it’s about propelling great ideas into action.”

And, of course, the event closed with the customary happy hour and fireworks display on the Hoboken waterfront with the picturesque Manhattan skyline as the backdrop.