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Artificial intelligence is on the rise and on the rise. Most industries are considering how this technology will be implemented.
Gov. Maura T. Healey on Wednesday introduced a new statewide strategic artificial intelligence task force, whose first meeting will be held in a few weeks.
The task force, composed of 26 people from across the state, will study artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence and their impact on the state, residents and industry.
A news release from the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security said members will also provide recommendations to the state on how to “best support businesses in the state’s industries that are leading the adoption of artificial intelligence.”
Two members of the task force are from western Massachusetts – Robert E. Johnson, president of Western New England University, and Sears Merritt, director of enterprise technology and experience at MassMutual.
The Republican spoke with Johnson on Friday to discuss his hopes for the task force, the experience he brings to the table and where he sees the future of AI in western Massachusetts.
Merritt could not immediately be reached for comment.
Johnson’s interest in technology first emerged in the 1990s, but throughout his career he has made strides in embracing its use in higher education.
“I’ve always wanted to know how to use technology as a tool to increase efficiency and support innovation,” he said.
Artificial intelligence is a machine-based system that can make predictions, recommendations, or decisions based on human advice. As more people use the technology, professional productivity will increase, but Johnson also emphasized the importance of data literacy and understanding the ethics of using artificial intelligence.
“This technology can be used for good or bad,” he said.
Johnson is a thinker with an eye toward the future, but he also wants to emphasize the importance of human qualities that robots cannot achieve.
The combination of human emotion and technological innovation “will help us reach the next level,” he said. As he becomes the voice of the higher education sector, he hopes to get the attention of the task force.
“We have to train the next generation of workers to master skills that artificial intelligence tools cannot do,” he said. “Artificial intelligence is beyond human understanding, but the human element of ourselves remains.”
Johnson believes that basic human skills will always be important in the workplace and cannot be replaced by technology.
Johnson said that along with other members of the task force, he can “do all we can to impact the citizens of Massachusetts in a way that inspires us all.”
Earlier in his career, Johnson co-founded the Massachusetts Digital Gaming Institute, also known as MassDigi, an entrepreneurial and gamification center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is also Vice Chairman of the Massachusetts Technology Partnership, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of technology in business.
When asked if Western New England University has embraced the use of artificial intelligence at the school, it’s a no-brainer.
He equates students’ use of ChatGPT to calculators.
“Using calculators in exams used to be a taboo, now we have an app on our phones,” he said. “At WNE, we are leaning into artificial intelligence and exploring it as a learning tool and way of learning.”
Johnson added that this task force is an opportunity for technological advancement not only in western Massachusetts, but throughout the commonwealth.
“The more industries open up to technology, the more efficient we can be and the more jobs we can create. Massachusetts has always been known for being competitive, innovative and creative, and this task force will only push us in that direction. Going in the right direction,” he said.
Healey said she will seek $100 million in upcoming economic development legislation to create an applied artificial intelligence center in the state.
The funds will be used for a capital grant program that will “support the adoption and application of artificial intelligence capabilities to solve public policy problems and advance the nation’s leadership in technology,” according to the release. The funding will also help implement recommendations made by members of the task force; specifically because the costs are related to “the incubation of AI companies, the adoption of AI technologies, and the development and commercialization of AI software and hardware technologies,” the release said. “related.
The governor also recently introduced the Future Technology Act, which includes authorizing $25 million for the IT Capital Artificial Intelligence Initiative within the executive branch.
“Artificial intelligence as a tool will help humans further develop basic human skills so that they can learn, unlearn and relearn to continuously create and add new value,” Johnson said. “I am very excited about this working group and the work we do Very, very, very excited about everything that can be accomplished.”
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