Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed an executive order (EO) to establish the Artificial Intelligence Strategic Task Force to study artificial intelligence and generative AI (GenAI) technologies and their impact on the state, private businesses, higher education institutions, and constituents.
“Massachusetts has the opportunity to be a global leader in Applied AI – but it’s going to take us bringing together the brightest minds in tech, business, education, health care and government. That’s exactly what this task force will do,” said Gov. Healey.
“Members of the task force will collaborate on strategies that keep us ahead of the curve by leveraging AI and GenAI technology, which will bring significant benefit to our economy and communities across the state,” she said.
The task force will begin its work this month and will present final recommendations to the governor later this year. According to the governor’s office, the task force will conduct outreach and collect input from stakeholders and experts, advise the governor and executive branch on the state’s role in AI implementation, and find ways to encourage leading industries to adopt this technology to ensure continued success.
“Our administration acknowledges AI as a transformative technology set to influence various aspects of our nation’s economy,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “This Task Force will position Massachusetts as a hub for talent and business excellence, as we examine economic shifts driven by AI with the goal of establishing our state as a global leader in its effective and responsible utilization.”
The governor’s office also noted that the mission of the task force is to create specific recommendations for how the state can best support businesses in leading sectors around AI adoption. It will also produce recommendations focused on startups’ ability to scale and succeed in Massachusetts.
“Artificial intelligence is already changing aspects of daily life and the world around us, which is why it’s critical that we ensure that the Commonwealth’s businesses are well prepared for that transition, and that Massachusetts is positioned to benefit from the growth of emerging technologies related to AI,” said Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano. “The House looks forward to reviewing any recommendations made by the task force, as we work to better understand the impact that AI will have on our economy, schools, and on the Commonwealth as a whole.”
The AI Strategic Task Force will consist of 25 people representing members of the business community, higher education institutions, and state and local government. The secretaries of the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) will serve as state co-chairs. Mike Milligan of the UMass system and Santiago Garces of Boston will serve as co-chairs from the academic community and local government.
Once it is up and running the task force will also have subject-specific working groups that will create recommendations to leverage AI across a variety of sectors, including education, healthcare, life sciences, robotics, and financial services.
