New York City halts generative AI in schools through eighth grade
Mayor Mamdani's one-year moratorium, broadest in the US, affects some 600,000 students and pushes back on industry pressure
NEW YORK (MNTV) — New York City is imposing a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative artificial intelligence in classrooms from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, a measure the city calls the most expansive of its kind in the United States, affecting about 600,000 students — two-thirds of the nation’s largest school system.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced the policy Wednesday, ahead of the Sept. 10 start of classes, framing it as a challenge to industry pressure to introduce AI to ever-younger children.
“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary,” Mamdani said. “We do not see it that way.”
He said he had seen no research showing benefits for young students beyond studies backed by companies that stand to profit.
The policy takes effect in the 2026-27 school year while the city studies the technology’s impact; it disables AI features in nearly 40 previously approved programs, bans “companion chatbots” across all grades, and adds age-appropriate screen-time limits, with exceptions for assistive technology, multilingual learners, and career-readiness programs.
High schoolers are treated differently. Rather than a ban, all will take twice-yearly AI-literacy modules covering what AI is and is not, algorithmic bias, ethics, and the skills an AI economy demands, while a small number of vetted pilots run in limited classrooms.
“Whether we like it or not, our teenagers are growing up in an AI-saturated world,” Mamdani said.
“We cannot pretend that that world does not exist.”
The move reverses the city’s more permissive March guidance and comes as districts nationwide — including Los Angeles — grapple with students using chatbots to complete work rather than build their own skills.
A parent-and-teacher coalition that had pushed for a two-year ban called it an important first step. Microsoft, which partnered with the city’s schools on AI in 2023, and OpenAI, whose ChatGPT is widely used by students, did not respond to requests for comment.
“This moratorium is a commitment to getting the future right,” Mamdani said.
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