Massachusetts chooses to regulate rather than ban: Boston blocks ChatGPT but allows Gemini

Where New York and Los Angeles have suspended generative AI, Massachusetts districts write rules on a case-by-case basis. Many still have none.

While New York suspended generative AI until the third grade and Los Angeles cut it off on all its school devices, Massachusetts' districts took a slower path: allow, but set rules. The result, described on September 22, is a patchwork.

Boston Public Schools blocks ChatGPT while endorsing Google Gemini for teens, and has invested $1 million in training its teachers — twenty-four of them went through a session in August. Lexington allows AI for tutoring and work organization, but prohibits relying on unverified facts. Medfield denies its use for self-reflection and idea generation without prior permission. Hingham requires the student to cite the tool as soon as it has been used to generate ideas.

Other districts, including Springfield, Milton and Brookline, did not respond to requests, and many did not issue any instructions for students and teachers to improvise there. The context makes the absence of a framework costly: one in five children aged 9 to 17 already use AI on a daily basis for schoolwork, and half of students have never been trained to check answers.