Artificial Intelligence at the Commonwealth

How Massachusetts uses AI responsibly

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important tool that can help the Commonwealth improve constituent services, increase efficiency, and better support our workforce to serve our residents. We are committed to using AI responsibly, ethically, and in ways that strengthen public trust. The principles below guide how we design, use, evaluate, and oversee AI systems across the Commonwealth to ensure they serve the public good. 

1. Public Service First

AI is used to enhance the Commonwealth employees’ abilities to improve government services, expand capacity, and better serve our residents. Every AI system that is deployed must have clear public benefits. 

2. Human Oversight and Responsibility 

AI enhances human work without replacing human judgement. State employees remain accountable for their decisions supported by AI. They must review and validate AI outputs, and AI systems are designed to remain under human control. State agencies follow EOTSS' Generative AI Policy which sets clear expectations for how AI tools can be used and developed.

3. Transparency and Accountability 

AI systems must operate within the rule of law and established ethical standards. We are open about how AI is used in the Commonwealth. We document decisions, monitor performance, and clearly assign responsibility. We evaluate and improve our AI systems to maintain public trust. 

4. Fairness, Accessibility, and Inclusion 

AI tools must support equitable public service delivery. We design and use AI to serve all residents. We continuously evaluate our systems for fairness, promote accessibility, and work to prevent discrimination or harm. 

5. Workforce Empowerment 

Our primary focus is to train our workforce in the use of AI, reducing uncertainty and building a resilient workforce for the future. We provide our employees training, guidance, and support so employees can use AI confidently, responsibly, and effectively. Our education and training will evolve as the technology changes to support our employees through a rapidly changing landscape.  

6. Privacy and Responsible Data Stewardship 

We protect the data entrusted to us by our residents. AI systems follow strict privacy, cybersecurity, and data governance standards. We limit access, safeguard sensitive information, and build privacy protections into systems from development to deployment and beyond. 

7. Collaboration and Continuous Improvement 

The rollout of AI tools will be iterative and collaborative. We will engage employees, agency leaders, labor partners, and technical experts to refine the systems over time. Feedback from users will directly inform improvements and responsible scaling.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration is leveraging Massachusetts’ world-class education ecosystem to build partnerships that bring student talent into government. Through hands-on data and AI projects, students tackle real-world challenges while helping agencies test new tools, prototype ideas, and deliver practical solutions.

In January 2024, Governor Healey filed the FutureTech Act to modernize state IT assets and advance the state’s use of AI in state government. Signed into law in July 2024, the legislation authorized $25 million to support AI projects that improve government operations and the digital experience for residents.

Separately, Governor Healey created the AI Strategic Task Force through Executive Order No. 629 to position Massachusetts as a national leader in AI-driven economic growth. The Task Force examined AI adoption across key sectors and, in December 2024, recommended establishing a Massachusetts AI Hub to build on the state's robust innovation ecosystem.