Mamdani imposes one-year ban on AI for most NYC students

New York City is imposing what officials describe as the most restrictive school AI policy in the United States, halting student use of about 40 educational tools in public elementary and middle schools for one year.

The moratorium will cover roughly 600,000 students through eighth grade. High school students will still be allowed to use artificial intelligence in some circumstances, while teachers may use it for lesson planning, scheduling and other tasks.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the policy at a news conference, saying, “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.”

New York City schools previously introduced a temporary ChatGPT ban soon after the tool launched in 2022. Officials later lifted that restriction and replaced it with a custom AI teaching assistant, according to Microsoft, which partly owns ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other school districts, including Los Angeles, are reviewing their own AI policies.

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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.