Through a partnership with OpenAI, the ChatGPT-powered assistant will be available to nearly 40,000 employees across the state executive branch following a phased rollout. Other states, such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania, have piloted ChatGPT to enhance government workforce efficiency.
Massachusetts’ contract with OpenAI follows a competitive procurement process. The state’s phased rollout will begin with staff in the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). In the coming months, use will expand to other agencies.
The rollout will take place within a secure environment that protects state data; inputs will not be used to train public AI models. The EOTSS Privacy Office has established terms and conditions to guide use of the tool. In addition, the state is offering training programs to inform its workforce about best practices for, and strategic use of, the tool.
Employee use is optional.
“By making ChatGPT available to the state workforce, we are empowering our employees with a secure, governed tool that can enhance service delivery while maintaining the highest standards for data privacy, security and thoughtful, transparent usage of AI,” said CIO Jason Snyder in a statement.
It is intended to support employees with tasks such as drafting first versions of documents, research, content translation and summarizing spreadsheets. Notably, officials acknowledge that the tool may sometimes generate incorrect information, and as such, emphasize that human oversight will remain “essential.”
Employees will have a point of contact at each agency to support the rollout, address issues and answer questions. Employees are encouraged to share new, scalable use cases as they identify them. Training resources, such as an AI Assistant Knowledge Center, will be made available as the program expands.
Use of public AI models such as public versions of ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude is currently prohibited on state-issued devices. Access to this enterprise AI assistant aims to provide employees secure access to an AI model in a way that ensures state data is protected.
During the vendor selection process, proposals were evaluated based on security and privacy compliance, usability and accessibility, training and support plans, licensing flexibility and a commitment to both long-term partnerships and responsible AI practices.
The new tool is expected to impact the public by reducing wait times and helping agencies respond more accurately to residents’ needs.
The AI assistant is not being used to make any decisions about eligibility or services. It will not be used in public communications with state agency representatives. Residents may, however, interact with the state’s virtual assistant created by EOTSS in some situations.
The announcement builds on the Bay State’s previous work to advance AI through actions such as the creation of the AI Strategic Task Force to advise leadership, the creation of an AI center of excellence for secure exploration, and the launch of the Massachusetts AI Hub, which facilitates cross-sector partnerships to support the technology’s deployment.
