New York City Schools Ban AI for Students Through 8th Grade
New York City's public schools will temporarily ban generative AI tools for students through eighth grade for the upcoming school year. The move is part of a broader assessment of the technology's role in education.
New York City public schools will implement a one-year moratorium on the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for students in elementary and middle school grades for the upcoming academic year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that the ban is part of a wider evaluation of how children in the nation's largest school system interact with the technology.
The prohibition will apply to "all software that uses student-facing generative AI" for students up through eighth grade. Concurrently, the city will introduce AI literacy classes twice a year for all high school students. Some high school students will also participate in pilot programs allowing supervised use of select AI platforms.
The decision comes as schools nationwide grapple with integrating AI tools into classrooms while preventing over-reliance or cheating. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the country's second-largest, has also placed a temporary block on generative AI access for students on school devices.
New York City plans to recommend screen time limits for students and will review all technology tools used within the school system to identify and remove non-essential software. Teachers will still be permitted to use AI for instructional planning and administrative tasks.