New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has declared a one-year suspension on the use of artificial intelligence in public elementary and middle schools, affecting approximately 600,000 students up to eighth grade. This policy, unveiled on Wednesday, will stop the use of around 40 AI educational applications currently employed in classrooms across the city.
In a significant development, this moratorium represents the strictest AI regulation introduced by any US public school district to date. Meanwhile, other districts such as Los Angeles are actively reviewing their own AI policies.
Notably, high school students will retain some access to AI tools, and educators will still be permitted to utilize AI for tasks like lesson planning and scheduling, the city’s announcement.
Mayor Mamdani emphasized the importance of human interaction in education, stating, “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.”
This decision arrives amid a nationwide debate as school districts grapple with how to manage the increasing integration of AI technologies in educational settings.
Major AI companies including Google, Anthropic, and Microsoft have not yet issued statements regarding the new policy.
Previously, New York City public schools had implemented a temporary ban on ChatGPT shortly after its launch in 2022. That restriction was later lifted and replaced with a custom AI-powered teaching assistant, developed in partnership with Microsoft, which holds a stake in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
