New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a one-year ban on the use of artificial intelligence tools by most students in the city’s public elementary and middle schools, as officials seek to limit the technology’s impact on learning and classroom relationships.
The policy, announced on Wednesday, will suspend the use of about 40 AI-powered educational tools currently available in New York City schools.
It will affect roughly 600,000 students up to eighth grade. High school students will still be able to use AI in certain circumstances, while teachers will be permitted to use the technology for tasks such as lesson planning and scheduling.
Mamdani said the decision was driven by concerns that students need direct interaction with teachers and classmates to develop essential skills.
“Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow,” Mamdani told reporters.
He said students should have opportunities to work with their peers, develop relationships with educators and learn how to deal with difficult problems without relying on AI.
The policy comes as school districts across the United States are trying to establish rules for increasingly sophisticated AI tools in classrooms.
New York City previously restricted the use of ChatGPT in public schools shortly after the chatbot was launched in 2022. The restriction was later lifted as education officials began exploring ways to use AI under controlled conditions.
The latest move marks a shift towards a more cautious approach, reflecting concerns about whether widespread access to AI could affect students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Other major U.S. school districts, including Los Angeles, are also examining how AI should be used in education.
Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Microsoft, which has invested in OpenAI, has previously said New York City schools introduced a customised AI-powered teaching assistant after the earlier ChatGPT restrictions were lifted.
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