AI Usage at a Glance
Timeline
May 18, 2023
ProductivityPractice documented: The City of Boston offers city employees access to generative AI tools for work tasks — such as drafting documents, summarizing text, and data analysis — governed by a formal Gen AI Policy that requires employees to complete basic training before accessing city-provided AI tools. Boston was one of the first major U.S. cities to release generative AI guidelines, initially in May 2023.
Practice DocumentedView practice →May 1, 2024
ProductivityPractice documented: The City of Boston used Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro large language model to automatically generate descriptive titles for more than 1,100 City Council roll call vote records spanning the past 16 years, making historical voting data easier for residents to browse. The city described this as its first public use of generative AI on Boston.gov, launched in May 2024.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jul 1, 2024
ProductivityNew evidence: People Powered Gen AI: Collaborating with Generative AI for Civic Engagement
Evidence AddedView practice →Aug 8, 2024
Data AnalysisPractice documented: The City of Boston integrated Google's Project Green Light, an AI system that analyzes traffic patterns and produces recommendations for adjusting traffic signal timing to reduce congestion. Boston's transportation engineers review each recommendation before implementing it.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Sep 1, 2025
Customer SvcPractice documented: The City of Boston integrated an AI-native platform called Creatio into its 311 non-emergency services system, replacing a legacy system that had operated since 2008. The new platform uses predictive machine learning to recommend next steps in service workflows and generative AI to support natural language interactions between staff and the system.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 1, 2025
Data AnalysisPractice documented: The City of Boston tested an AI agent system called OpenContext, which connects large language models to Boston's public open data portal using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing employees and residents to query city datasets in plain language. As of early 2026, this was in beta and publicly available via Boston's open data showcase.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Nov 1, 2025
Customer SvcNew evidence: City of Boston Modernizes Citizen Services with Creatio's AI-Native No-Code Platform
Evidence AddedView practice →Nov 12, 2025
Customer SvcNew evidence: Boston 311 Services Shaped by Adaptable, AI-Powered Platform
Evidence AddedView practice →Dec 15, 2025
ProductivityNew evidence: Ensuring the Responsible Public Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence | Boston.gov
Evidence AddedView practice →Dec 15, 2025
Customer SvcPractice documented: The City of Boston deployed a beta AI search feature on Boston.gov, powered by Google Gemini, that gives residents direct answers to questions about city services rather than a list of links. As of December 2025, the feature is live on the 60 most visited pages of Boston.gov.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Feb 1, 2026
Data AnalysisPractice documented: The City of Boston deployed the Boston Curb Lab, an initiative that uses AI and street-level imagery to build and maintain a real-time digital map of every parking and curb regulation in the city. The lab, launched in February 2026, is run by the Office of Emerging Technology and funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation SMART Grant.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Feb 11, 2026
Data AnalysisNew evidence: Boston Launches Curb Lab: Bringing New Solutions to Old Streets | Boston.gov
Evidence AddedView practice →Feb 23, 2026
Data AnalysisNew evidence: Boston opens AI-powered 'Curb Lab' to optimize public spaces
Evidence AddedView practice →Mar 2, 2026
Customer SvcNew evidence: How Boston is transforming its outdated 311 system
Evidence AddedView practice →Mar 9, 2026
Data AnalysisNew evidence: AI agents are coming for government. How one big city is letting them in
Evidence AddedView practice →Apr 8, 2026
Data AnalysisNew evidence: Boston's CIO wants the public — and other city governments — to use his open-source agentic AI tools
Evidence AddedView practice →Jun 1, 2026
ProductivityNew evidence: City of Boston Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) Policy | Boston.gov
Evidence AddedView practice →Recent activity
The City of Boston integrated an AI-native platform called Creatio into its 311 non-emergency services system, replacing a legacy system that had operated since 2008. The new platform uses predictive machine learning to recommend next steps in service workflows and generative AI to support natural language interactions between staff and the system.
Boston finalized a contract with Creatio in 2024 and the new 311 system went live in February 2026, handling more than 1,000 daily service requests across 180+ service types from residents. The Creatio platform includes predictive AI to recommend next best actions in workflows and generative AI for natural language interface, consolidating requests across dozens of city departments. A city official described the prior system as a 15-year-old on-premises system built on SQL servers that was no longer meeting the government's needs.
The City of Boston used Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro large language model to automatically generate descriptive titles for more than 1,100 City Council roll call vote records spanning the past 16 years, making historical voting data easier for residents to browse. The city described this as its first public use of generative AI on Boston.gov, launched in May 2024.
The emerging technology and digital teams used Gemini 1.5 Pro to process structured docket information for each vote and produce a plain-language summary title. The page was described as experimental at launch, with the city noting it would continue to refine prompts and potentially test other models. The city also stated it was exploring using generative AI to tag content across thousands of Boston.gov pages to improve search functionality.
The City of Boston deployed a beta AI search feature on Boston.gov, powered by Google Gemini, that gives residents direct answers to questions about city services rather than a list of links. As of December 2025, the feature is live on the 60 most visited pages of Boston.gov.
The AI search tool takes a resident's plain-language question as input and returns a synthesized summary drawn from multiple Boston.gov pages. The city's Digital Service Team reported that as of December 2025, positive feedback for AI search (34.3%) outperformed traditional search (10.9%) by 23.4 percentage points. The feature is described as still in beta, and the city notes it may occasionally produce unexpected results.
All practices by category
The City of Boston tested an AI agent system called OpenContext, which connects large language models to Boston's public open data portal using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing employees and residents to query city datasets in plain language. As of early 2026, this was in beta and publicly available via Boston's open data showcase.
The City of Boston deployed the Boston Curb Lab, an initiative that uses AI and street-level imagery to build and maintain a real-time digital map of every parking and curb regulation in the city. The lab, launched in February 2026, is run by the Office of Emerging Technology and funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation SMART Grant.
The City of Boston integrated Google's Project Green Light, an AI system that analyzes traffic patterns and produces recommendations for adjusting traffic signal timing to reduce congestion. Boston's transportation engineers review each recommendation before implementing it.
The City of Boston integrated an AI-native platform called Creatio into its 311 non-emergency services system, replacing a legacy system that had operated since 2008. The new platform uses predictive machine learning to recommend next steps in service workflows and generative AI to support natural language interactions between staff and the system.
The City of Boston deployed a beta AI search feature on Boston.gov, powered by Google Gemini, that gives residents direct answers to questions about city services rather than a list of links. As of December 2025, the feature is live on the 60 most visited pages of Boston.gov.
The City of Boston used Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro large language model to automatically generate descriptive titles for more than 1,100 City Council roll call vote records spanning the past 16 years, making historical voting data easier for residents to browse. The city described this as its first public use of generative AI on Boston.gov, launched in May 2024.
The City of Boston offers city employees access to generative AI tools for work tasks — such as drafting documents, summarizing text, and data analysis — governed by a formal Gen AI Policy that requires employees to complete basic training before accessing city-provided AI tools. Boston was one of the first major U.S. cities to release generative AI guidelines, initially in May 2023.
Cite this record
Trace Foundation. (2026). City of Boston: documented AI practices (data as of 2026-06-30) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/company/692accfe-7254-40ab-b6b2-387a3fab32d5. Accessed October 6, 2026.
- Stable link
- https://www.aitrace.org/r/company/692accfe-7254-40ab-b6b2-387a3fab32d5
- Data as of
- June 30, 2026
- Last verified
- Not recorded
Related Companies
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Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)
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