BELCHERTOWN — Last week, Gov. Maura Healey announced a partnership with Google to offer all residents free training on artificial intelligence skills, and among the 80 big technology companies, startups and organizations invited to Cambridge for the conference was Belchertown.
“We are some not-so tiny town in western Massachusetts,” said Chris Martin, chair of Belchertown’s Communications Committee. “They were like, ‘How did you get here?'”
Massachusetts has set out to become a leader in artificial intelligence and so far it seems the state has stayed in the technology race. In 2024, Healey created the Massachusetts AI Hub, a branch of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative that bolstered AI education, funding and deployment throughout the state. The Washington, D.C. think tank Brookings Institution named Boston one of the 28 “star hubs” for bigger AI research and innovations in a report published last year, and in February Massachusetts became the first state to launch a ChatGPT-powered AI assistant across the executive branch.
But Belchertown has risen to the top of municipalities exploring the possibilities of AI tools in local government. In the last month, town leadership sought out state partners to train staff on the benefits, risks and ethics of artificial intelligence. AI is here, and Belchertown is carving a path for responsible incorporation of this technology into operations.
“With Massachusetts emphasizing AI as a key area for growth and innovation, Belchertown is excited to be a leader in exploring its safe, responsible, and effective use across local government,” Town Manager Steve Williams said in a statement.
Belchertown is not the only municipality thinking about AI in western Massachusetts. Granby and Hadley Public Schools are in the midst of a pilot AI curriculum that dives into the workings of AI models and develops high-demand technology skills.
Already within Belchertown’s government, AI is being used in several departments, Martin said. The Communication Committee uses AI to transcribe meetings for minutes. Police use AI to redact personal information like social security numbers, license plate numbers or addresses in public records requests. Belchertown Community Television consults AI to find pieces of equipment that need replacing. When searching for a missing person, AI can scan through Belchertown Fire Department drone footage for an identifiable clothing color and find the person faster.
“It cuts down a lot on the paperwork and requirements that every committee needs to do and makes it easier for all of us to get through those tiny tasks a lot faster,” Martin said.
These AI initiatives are not aimed at replacing jobs or allowing AI to work on its own. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Francine Berman, director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Public Interest Technology Initiative (PIT), said AI models still require human oversight because it can oversimplify problems, be blinded by bias and lean into sycophancy.
“AI is a large language model,” said Berman, who oversees a technology education program on campus. “A good model of language, but it is not a person and doesn’t think the way we do.”
Berman and a few other staff at the PIT hosted a half-day training with Belchertown employees on Feb. 25. The session covered the basics of large language models, the strengths and limitations of AI and potential risks to watch for.
“They’re leaders and they are approaching [AI integration] in a really thoughtful, careful way,” Berman said. “They are thinking about when are good instances to use AI, when are bad instances to use AI and how they can come together to work through things that might come up.”
In particular, Belchertown remains vigilant about AI impacts on misinformation and privacy. The Communications Committee is in the process of creating an AI policy to guide employees on ethical AI practices in each department. The policy not only covers language models, but images, videos and emails.
Prior to their collaboration with the PIT, the Mass AI Hub helped the town connect with other companies who are navigating the same challenges as them. The Mass AI Hub will continue to support Belchertown’s AI initiatives as a member of the Communications Committee take the free AI training courses the Healey administration unveiled last week. According to the Mass AI Hub website, residents can receive a certificate in Google AI by taking Growth with Google classes on researching, writing and analysis with AI tools.
By taking these courses, Belchertown could “upskill” its workforce, improving not only the town’s internal operations but providing a roadmap for the rest of western Massachusetts.
“There are so many big businesses, startups and organizations that are trying to figure it out with us, but we aren’t seeing those other towns here,” Martin said. “We want to make sure we are upskilling the whole region.”
