Mayor Michelle Wu says Boston will be the first major U.S. city to launch a new program to make all high school graduates proficient in artificial intelligence.
The push is being funded by a $1 million seed grant from Paul English, a technology entrepreneur and co-founder of travel website Kayak and activist for Embrace Boston. He is also an alumnus of Boston Public Schools and helped found the Paul English Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence at Boston University.
“This is a public-private partnership between city government, higher education, and industry that will position Boston Public Schools as a leader in AI fluency and ensure that all students are aware of the full context of this world,” Wu said at a press conference at Elliott K-8 Innovation High School in the North End.
“Starting in September, we will bring AI literacy programming to BPS high schools. The goal is to help students understand how to use the tools in front of them, prepare them for the world ahead, and use it to further advance in school, career, and life,” Wu added.
In his remarks, Wu emphasized that BPS family data will not be used and that new BPS programming will involve teachers and students actively and critically engaging with AI rather than having AI tools do the work for them passively.
“We…recognize this rapidly changing situation and the potential challenges, risks and pitfalls as we move into new territory,” she said. “So this program is very inclusive. We recognize that all students and community members deserve well-paying, dignified jobs and a community based on human connection, and we have the tools to support that in every way possible. So it’s part of our curriculum: [we’ve] What we have already planned and planned is based on ethics and an understanding of how to maintain and develop creativity. [and] It provides leadership and enhances the learning that is happening, not replaces or replaces it. ”
English said his $1 million seed grant will fund the training of one teacher from each of Boston’s approximately 24 high schools. These teachers, who will be selected by BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper, will be trained this summer on an AI curriculum developed by Boston University and local industry groups, with AI instruction at the high school level expected to begin this fall. As part of this push, some BPS students will be able to take AI courses at Boston University.
In his remarks, English suggested that the new initiative will help solidify Boston’s status as an “AI-advanced city” and will also have a beneficial trickle-down effect for years to come.
“This not only helps students become better students in terms of using AI interactively to quiz them, keep them up to date, help them with areas they might have missed in the classroom, and actually collaborate with their teachers to become better students,” English said. “It also helps their families.”
“Many times [with] “New technology is more important than my career. Young people are the ones bringing in new technology. I look forward to helping Boston Public Schools students teach parents how to use AI, how to think about AI ethically, how to tell when AI is not accurate, and how to use AI critically.”
Boston’s new program announcement comes a month after Gov. Maura Healey announced Massachusetts residents will now be able to take Google’s artificial intelligence and career certification classes for free, which Healy said will help Massachusetts become the “applied AI capital of the United States.”
While Wu stopped short of setting similar standards for Boston at Thursday’s event, he made it clear that he has high expectations for what the new BPS program will look like over time.
“The BPS program will also deepen our relationships with partners in our larger industry and business community,” Wu said. “Therefore, our AI Industry Advisory Board, chaired by Paul and Ellen Rubin, glasswing venturescomprised of leaders from Boston-based companies at the cutting edge of AI.
“They will provide feedback on programming, provide access to opportunities, advise educators and students, and help organize learning opportunities for students to see things firsthand in the community. We envision everything from guest speakers and site visits to hackathons and internships.”
Eric Berg, president of the Boston Teachers Union, sounded cautiously optimistic when speaking with GBH News later that day about BPS’ AI push.
“This initiative, which we understand and just learned about a few hours ago, provides professional development for educators in the use of AI, and we support it,” Berg said. “But the jury is out on whether that’s the most effective training.”
Berg also said that BTU believes that everyone who uses AI needs to learn to use it ethically. The need to actively protect data security. And new education initiatives that rely on one-time grants “when that funding runs out; [whether] Progress is sustainable. ”
“That’s another thing that I hope the school division and the city consider,” Berg said.
