New York City has imposed a one-year moratorium on student-facing artificial intelligence tools in public schools from preschool through eighth grade, affecting nearly 600,000 students in the nation’s largest public school system.
The policy, introduced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, is designed to give education officials time to study the impact of artificial intelligence on children and determine how the technology should be integrated into classrooms in the future.
Under the new rules, students from preschool through eighth grade will be prohibited from using AI tools, including chatbots, directly in their schoolwork. The city will also introduce limits on classroom screen time.
Mamdani defended the decision, saying the technology industry had created the impression that AI-powered early education was both unavoidable and necessary.
“The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary,” he said. “We do not see it that way.”
The policy does not completely remove AI from schools. Teachers will still be allowed to use AI for certain behind-the-scenes activities, including lesson planning, while exceptions will be made for some assistive technologies and specialised programmes.
For older students, the city plans to focus instead on AI literacy, teaching high school students how the technology works, as well as its risks, limitations and ethical implications.
The decision has reignited a wider debate over the role of AI in education. Supporters of greater restrictions argue that young children need to develop independent thinking, problem-solving and human interaction before becoming heavily dependent on technology. Critics, however, warn that shielding students from AI could leave them unprepared for a workforce increasingly shaped by the technology.
For New York City officials, the immediate priority is to pause, study the consequences and determine what responsible AI use in schools should look like.
The move makes New York City one of the most prominent school systems to take a cautious approach to generative AI as educators worldwide grapple with how best to balance technological innovation with children’s learning and development.
