Governor Dan McKee’s administration released a 75-page strategy Wednesday for how Rhode Island should prepare for artificial intelligence.

You should read my colleague Chris Gavin’s full story here. 

To size up the plan, Rhode Map went straight to the source and had AI help us build a report card. We asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to assign grades to the plan.

🎯 Vision & Strategic Direction

What’s being graded: How clearly the report defines Rhode Island’s overall AI strategy and what problem it’s trying to solve.

ChatGPT: A-
Strong big-picture thinking and a consistent workforce-first theme, but some goals blur together and could be more tightly prioritized.

Gemini: A
The report clearly defines the strategy as leading nationally in responsible, inclusive AI adoption, with workforce readiness as the key differentiator

Claude: A-
The report articulates a clear, differentiated vision centered on workforce readiness and Rhode Island's small-state agility, though it occasionally tries to be everything to everyone.

🏗 Implementation Details

What’s being graded: How well the report explains how the plan actually gets built, funded and rolled out.

ChatGPT: C
Good ideas, but you didn’t show your work — more specifics on cost, timelines and sequencing are needed.

Gemini: B+
The plan identifies key initiatives and necessary steps, but general recommendations for funding mechanisms and ownership need to be more explicit

Claude: C+
The report is heavy on aspirational "steps to unlock value" but light on budgets, timelines, ownership structures, and the operational mechanics that turn plans into reality.

⚖️ Governance & Ethics

What’s being graded: The plan for setting rules, guardrails and accountability around AI use.

ChatGPT: B-
The state clearly understands the importance of responsible AI, but enforcement and oversight details are still underdeveloped.

Gemini: A
The report makes a strong commitment to ethical AI use, proposing a centralized guidance body, policy frameworks, and requirements for bias monitoring.

Claude: B+ 
Strong on principles and awareness of risks, with clear calls for oversight structures, though the actual governance architecture remains somewhat abstract.

🏛 Government as a User

What’s being graded: How convincingly the report positions state government to use AI itself and lead by example.

ChatGPT: B-
Solid concept, but the next step is naming where government goes first and how internal capacity catches up to the ambition.

Gemini: A-
The plan positions state government as a leader through piloting use cases, pioneering a policy management system, and implementing AI in citizen-facing services.

Claude: B
The report positions government as an AI adopter and role model with some compelling use cases, but lacks the operational roadmap and change management strategy needed to transform state agencies.

🧠 Overall Effort 

What’s being graded: The seriousness of the state’s attempt to get ahead of AI rather than react to it later.

ChatGPT: B+
The state clearly did the reading and came to class prepared — now it’s time to turn the outline into an actual project.

Gemini: A
The state has demonstrated a serious, proactive, and inclusive attempt to get ahead of the AI transformation by establishing a task force and conducting a rigorous, collaborative process.

Claude: A-
This is a serious, well-researched attempt to get ahead of AI transformation, demonstrating Rhode Island's commitment to proactive leadership even if execution challenges remain.