New York City has announced a one-year moratorium on student use of artificial intelligence in public elementary and middle schools, affecting roughly 600,000 students through eighth grade.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the policy will pause the use of around 40 AI-powered educational tools currently used in city classrooms. He argued that younger students need direct interaction with teachers and classmates, as well as opportunities to work through difficult problems without relying on AI.
“Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow,” Mamdani said, adding that students should build relationships with educators and develop skills alongside their peers.
The restrictions will not apply in the same way to high school students, who may still be allowed to use AI in certain situations. Teachers will also be permitted to use AI for tasks such as lesson planning and scheduling.
The move is among the most restrictive AI policies introduced by a major U.S. school district so far. Other districts, including Los Angeles, are also reviewing their own rules for AI in education.
New York City previously blocked ChatGPT shortly after its public release in 2022, but later lifted that restriction and introduced its own AI-powered teaching tools.
The new moratorium reflects growing concern among education officials over how rapidly generative AI is entering classrooms and how it could affect learning, academic integrity and students’ ability to develop independent problem-solving skills.