New York City banned student-facing generative AI for grades 2-K through 8 for one year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced the policy. It starts in the 2026-27 school year and covers all software with student-facing generative AI. Companion chatbots are barred in every grade. High schoolers get two short classes a year on judging AI critically. Five supervised pilots run in a limited number of high school classes, using Quill, Edia, Brisk Teaching, Playlab and Intel AI-Ready Schools. Each pilot caps weekly student use at 10 to 20 minutes. Teachers may still use AI for lesson planning and admin work. Exceptions cover assistive technology, multilingual learners and career readiness programs. New screen time caps apply from second grade upward.
What changed
Student-facing generative AI tools were permitted in NYC public schools.
- 600,000 students affected
- 1-year moratorium, 2026-27
- 50,000 high schoolers in pilots
- two 45-minute AI modules
Sources