Dec 20, 2023 - News

New Boston think tank to release AI-generated transcripts of public meetings

Steph Solis

Illustration of Boston City Hall with lines radiating from it. — Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

A new non-partisan think tank led by a Democratic campaign consultant launched last week focusing on issues affecting Boston residents and its local government.

Why it matters: Bostonians lack the digital town square they once found on Twitter under the #bospoli and #mapoli hashtags, and the think tank aims to help drive public discourse.

What's happening: The Boston Policy Institute, created by veteran campaign manager Greg Maynard, will work with subject-matter experts to weigh in on housing, education and transparency.

BPI's first order of business is publishing AI-generated transcripts of hours-long public meetings in Boston, with help from Legislata.

What they're saying: "I think the housing issue is a stand-in for a bunch of other issues in the state," Maynard tells Axios. "While our issues are getting more intense and more urgent, the public conversation is kind of broken down a bit."

Reality check: The AI-generated transcripts won't be edited for spelling, but potentially inaccurate keywords will be color-coded so readers can check the YouTube video themselves.

Details: BPI raised roughly $200,000 and plans to seek more money for its work.

Maynard declined to disclose its donors.
He is contracting outside subject-matter experts and a communications consultant.

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New Boston think tank to release AI-generated transcripts of public meetings

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