New York City bans student AI through eighth grade

New York City is banning public school students from using artificial intelligence until high school, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday.

The one-year restriction affects nearly 600,000 pupils through eighth grade in the largest school district in the United States. High school students will be allowed to use AI only in limited pilot programs, and they will be offered AI literacy classes twice a year.

Companion chatbots designed for emotional support will be banned across all grades. Teachers will still be allowed to use AI for lesson planning and administrative tasks.

“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary. We do not see it that way,” Mamdani said in a statement.

He said children needed teachers, human connection and time to develop skills with classmates and educators.

Governor Kathy Hochul said the city had a responsibility to make sure changing technology supported children and their learning rather than getting in the way.

A task force of students, teachers, parents, elected officials and industry experts will meet during the 2026-2027 school year to assess the moratorium before publishing its findings.

The new rules follow a March framework that allowed students to use AI for research, exploration and creative projects. That framework drew anger from many parents and teachers who considered it too lenient. Schools chancellor Kamar Samuels later said leaders had “missed the mark” in their communications and would review feedback for future rules.