AI is replacing tasks, not jobs, Snyder says at Digital Summit in Boston
BOSTON, Sept. 22, 2026…..As artificial intelligence advances and calls for regulation grow louder, the state’s technology chief says placing guardrails on AI begins with tracking how it’s used.
“The desire and need for innovation is significant across Massachusetts, but we want to do it planfully. We want to make sure that we have the guardrails in place that allow for successful AI innovation,” Secretary of the Executive Office of Technology and Security Jason Snyder told the News Service on Tuesday.
He said keeping tabs on how AI is used helps the state understand what benefits AI users are seeing as well as potential downsides.
Massachusetts Officials Track More Than 400 AI Use Cases
“It starts with first tracking. What are we seeing? What is happening with AI? What are the different use cases? So, we actually track – we have over 400 use cases – different things that people have used AI for across Massachusetts,” Snyder said.
Delivering remarks at the Massachusetts Digital Government Summit, Snyder said officials should work across secretariats to create an AI dashboard that shows information like workforce impacts, educational outcomes and improvements in productivity. Also, Snyder said AI helping people accomplish tasks.
“So, what we’re seeing with AI, people talk about AI replacing jobs,” he said. “They’re not seeing that really at all, but they are seeing AI replacing tasks, individual tasks. And so, we should track those tasks.”
At the same time, Snyder said there should be limits on what areas AI is deployed in.
Snyder Calls for an AI Dashboard
“We should really think about, specifically, what stairs and controls should exist for, say, critical infrastructure. Should AI be directly governing critical infrastructure?” Snyder said at the summit, which was held at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston. “What about high-risk biological or chemical industry, like, how do we think about how that works? I think we should go in with thoughts about it and with standards and guidance in those areas.”
Healey Pushes Frontier AI Safety Requirements
Last week, leaders of major AI platforms called for a slowdown in the advancement of frontier AI models to reduce what they said could be deadly risks, leading to increasing concerns and a sense of urgency among state and national policymakers to regulate the technology. A few days later, Gov. Maura Healey called on lawmakers negotiating details of policy-heavy economic development legislation (H 5576 / S 3228) to include language requiring independent safety evaluations of frontier AI models and faster reporting on safety incidents. Snyder said her approach was “spot-on.”
“I think that’s a great thing, spot-on kind of thing we should be thinking about,” he said.
Accountability and Disclosure Remain Priorities
Preserving accountability and keeping people at the helm of AI is also critical, Snyder said. This could look like ensuring any request for AI is validated through some kind of identity management or workflow system, he said, adding there should be requirements for disclosures on synthetic content and AI impersonations.
Snyder Says Flexible Oversight Is Necessary
Overall, Snyder said the approach he laid out for approaching AI regulation would help government officials become more adaptable to the rapidly evolving technology.
“AI can be a tremendous success by one measure, but a complete failure by others. We can help ensure that this disruption is successful for us all,” he said.
