US: New York City Mayor Mamdani announces ban on AI for younger students

New York City public schools will temporarily bar elementary and middle school students from using generative artificial intelligence tools during the upcoming school year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday.

Officials have described this as the most expansive such prohibition in the United States.

What do we know about the AI ban?

The one-year moratorium bars student-facing generative AI software for students through eighth grade, affecting roughly 600,000 public school students, while officials study how children use the technology.

The city said the policy will halt use of about 40 educational AI tools currently used in classrooms.. Companion chatbots will be banned across all grade levels.

However, high schoolers will be exempt from the full ban. The city will roll out twice-yearly AI literacy classes for all public high school students and launch pilot programs letting some use select AI platforms under teacher supervision.

Teachers, meanwhile, will still be permitted to use AI for lesson planning and administrative tasks such as scheduling.

What did Mayor Mamdani say about the restrictions?

Mamdani framed the decision around the value of human connection in education: "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."

He also tied the policy to the district's broader teaching ideals, saying, "Each day when our children come to school, we teach them to ask questions, to challenge assumptions, to interrogate the premise, to ask why. When it comes to AI in our schools, we hold an obligation to do the same."

New York's move comes as school districts across the country weigh the benefits and risks of generative AI in classrooms.

Is New York alone in banning AI?

New York's move comes as school districts across the country weigh the benefits and risks of generative AI in classrooms.

One of the largest examples is Los Angeles Unified, the US's second-largest school district, which is also temporarily blocking generative AI tools on student devices across all grades as it develops a formal policy this school year. LAUSD had already banned devices before second grade and set screen-time limits as part of a broader policy adopted in June.

Like Los Angeles, New York is pairing AI restrictions with broader limits on technology use.

New York's new plan also includes recommended screen time limits – a cap of 30 minutes daily for grades three to five and 45 minutes for grades six to eight. The plan also calls for a citywide review of education technology tools to eliminate those deemed nonessential to learning.

At least 37 states already have some form of official AI guidance for schools, according to the Associated Press, but no consistent national standard exists for AI literacy instruction.

What has the reaction been?

Reactions from education and advocacy groups were mixed. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, welcomed the screen time limits but said the AI policy "leaves many questions unanswered," including how the Education Department will ensure the tools it purchases include adequate safeguards, AP reported.

Josh Golin, executive director of the children's advocacy group Fairplay, told AP he wanted a longer moratorium and more lead time before the school year began, adding that AI platforms should have to "demonstrate that their products are effective at teaching kids, that they're safe, that they're not displacing face-to-face interaction and that they're not leading to rampant cheating."

"A year to evaluate is not nearly enough time," he said.

New York City's roughly 1 million public school students return to classrooms next week.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse