Briefs · Education and Upskilling
Boston wants AI fluency to be what graduation means
Boston is about to become the first major American city where leaving school means proving you can think with AI, not merely survive it.
Mayor Michelle Wu announced the plan in late March: from September 2026, Boston Public Schools will bring AI literacy programming to its high schools, with the goal that students graduate proficient in using the tools, and in knowing when they are wrong. A $1 million seed grant from Paul English, co-founder of Kayak, funds the launch.
The programme is not screen time with a new name, but rather ethics, judgement and critical use, built with teachers over the summer. Almost 30 teachers are already qualified as AI fellows, and an industry advisory board, chaired by English, will connect classrooms with Boston companies.
Conclusion: Boston is not teaching children to use a chatbot, but rather to graduate as its boss, not its servant.
Read the original at Governing / Boston Herald
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