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Reviewed and published by trentmaziarz, March 23, 2026. Discovered and drafted by our automated research pipeline.

UMass Amherst computer science students built AI-powered tools for Massachusetts state agencies that help members of the public access government services more easily. Projects completed in 2024–2025 include an AI assistant to help people apply for environmental permits, a caller-routing tool for unemployment assistance, and an HR chatbot for a state technology office.

Details

Through the AI for the Commonwealth (AI4CW) program, student teams partnered with state agencies for a 16-week semester, designing and implementing AI tools that were presented to Governor Maura Healey in 2025. Tools included: a digital guide for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to help applicants navigate the permit process; an automated caller-routing assistant for the Department of Unemployment Assistance; an HR chatbot for the Technology Services and Security office; and a researcher support chatbot for the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center. The program is run by UMass's Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in partnership with the Public Interest Technology Initiative.

Products affected

Massachusetts state agency digital services

Sources & Evidence

News Article

News ArticleVerified

AI For The Commonwealth

Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, UMass Amherst

https://ds.cs.umass.edu/programs/ai-for-the-commonwealth

News ArticleVerified

UMass Students Showcase AI Tools Built for State Agencies

Government Technology·Sep 2025

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/umass-students-showcase-ai-tools-built-for-state-agencies

Company Disclosure

Company DisclosureVerified

UMass Students Present AI Agency Projects to Governor Healey

Mass.gov·Sep 2025

https://www.mass.gov/news/umass-students-present-ai-agency-projects-to-governor-healey-0

Cite this record

Trace Foundation. (2026). University of Massachusetts Amherst: UMass Amherst computer science students built AI-powered tools for Massachusetts state agencies that help members of the public access government services more easily. Projects completed in 2024–2025 include an AI assistant to help people apply for environmental permits, a caller-routing tool for unemployment assistance, and an HR chatbot for a state technology office (data as of 2026-03-23) [Data set record]. AI Trace. https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/c65dbeee-15d2-4978-a470-d0807bbb5b0f. Accessed October 13, 2026.

Stable link: https://www.aitrace.org/r/practice/c65dbeee-15d2-4978-a470-d0807bbb5b0f
Data as of: March 23, 2026
Last verified: March 23, 2026

How to cite AI Trace

Other practices by University of Massachusetts Amherst

OtherUMass Amherst Dining Services piloted AI-driven robots that use cameras and computer vision to automatically identify and sort recyclables from general waste. The technology, developed by UMass engineering alumni, lets a single waste bin receive all materials and then sorts them automatically — removing the burden from individual users to sort correctly.OtherUMass Amherst runs a central "AI at UMass" website and a series of cross-campus working groups that coordinate AI research, teach faculty about AI tools, and develop ethical guidelines for how AI should be used at the university. These groups span the arts, computer science, social sciences, and public interest technology.OtherUMass Amherst established a formal university policy on the use of generative AI in academic work. The default rule is that using AI to do your academic work for you counts as cheating — unless the instructor of a specific course explicitly says otherwise. The policy took effect Fall 2025 and was developed by a faculty task force that studied the issue throughout 2023–2024.

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