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SEPTEMBER 10 - 16, 2026
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City to ban AI through eighth grade As a new school year gets under way in the country’s largest school system, a comprehensive new policy was unveiled by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels placing a oneyear moratorium on student-facing generative artificial intelligence in New York City public schools serving children from 2-K through eighth grade. In effect now, the policy ill affect nearly 600,000 students — roughly two-thirds of the city’s public school enrollment — while also establishing new screen time restrictions and limited AI programs for some high school students. Companion chatbots will also be prohibited across all grades. “Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow. They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own,” Mamdani said in a news release. “The tech industry wants us to Kamar SamuelS believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, City school but necessary. We do not see it chancellor that way.” The announcement comes as schools nationwide continue to grapple with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and questions about its effect on student learning, critical thinking, creativity and social development. “We have a responsibility to ensure that rapidlychanging technology supports our children and their learning, rather than getting in the way of it,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in the release. While younger students will be barred from using generative AI, the policy does not eliminate discussions about the technology for older students. All high school students will receive twice-yearly AI literacy classes designed to help them understand and critically evaluate artificial intelligence before relying on it. The two 45-minute modules will explain what AI is and is not, while also addressing bias, risks, ethical considerations and the technology’s potential impact on careers and future skills. “As chancellor and as a parent, I believe our job is to protect what makes learning work, while ensuring every child has the critical thinking skills they need before graduating,” Samuels said in the release. “We’re putting guardrails in place to protect the human connection, curiosity and creativity that help children grow.” The city will also launch five limited AI pilot programs for no more than 50,000 high school students in general education classes, representing roughly 5 per-
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e’re putting guardrails in place to protect the human connection.
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
New York City schools imposed a one-year ban on AI for students in 2-K up to eighth grade. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, sitting center, at the Brooklyn STEAM Center in Sept. 2. cent of the public-school student body. The pilots will be limited to a maximum of five classes per high school and must operate under the direct supervision of trained educators using carefully vetted AI tools. City officials said the programs were selected based on safety and data privacy standards, teacher-guided instruction and an emphasis on ensuring students remain the primary thinkers in the classroom. The pilot programs include Quill, an English language arts tool, Edia, a math program, Brisk Teaching and Playlab. Teachers, meanwhile, will continue to be allowed to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks, as long as the tools meet New York City Public Schools safety standards. The policy will also include exceptions for assistive technology used by students with disabilities, multilingual learners and students participating in career-readiness programs, including computer science. The policy also establishes new ageappropriate screen time guidelines. Students in second grade and below will have
restricted one-to-one screen time, while students in third through fifth grades will have recommended daily caps of 30 minutes. The recommended limit for students in sixth through eighth grades will be 45 minutes. During the school year, a new Technology in Schools Coalition will study the impact of the moratorium and the limited high school pilots. The coalition will include students, educators, parent leaders, elected officials, advocates, union representatives and technology experts. The group will publish a report recommending how the city should approach AI and other emerging technologies in future school years. — Jeffrey Bessen