NEW YORK
New York City Public Schools begins the 2026-2027 academic year next week with a sweeping ban on artificial intelligence for more than half a million students. The district confirmed the moratorium applies to students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the city will implement the generative AI ban for one year. During this period, city officials will study the technology's impacts on young learners.
Mamdani said the tech industry aims to convince the public that "AI-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary."
The district describes its new policy as the nation's most expansive AI moratorium. It specifically eliminates student-facing AI software and bans companion chatbots from classroom use.
High school students are exempt from the ban. The district plans to offer them twice-yearly AI literacy classes designed to help them develop critical thinking skills before relying on the technology.
New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the measure will help restore critical thinking skills essential for students to graduate. "We are standing firmly in our decision to not conflate innovation with more tech," Samuels wrote. "We will lead over the next year with evidence and make sure technology serves learning — not the other way around."
The city's public school system previously implemented a bell-to-bell cell phone ban last year, limiting device use during instructional hours.
The New York City move stands in sharp contrast to White House policy. The administration is encouraging teachers to use AI responsibly in classrooms, arguing artificial intelligence can improve education.
Some teachers already embrace the approach. Texas teacher Lori Garrett uses AI for nearly everything in the classroom, including developing lesson plans, organizing data and providing student feedback. She also allows students to use AI in class to help themselves learn.
