New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels have announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative artificial intelligence in grades 2-K through eighth grade, describing the move as an effort to put students, teachers and human connection at the centre of education.
The policy, which takes effect during the 2026–27 school year, is expected to affect nearly 600,000 public-school students, approximately two-thirds of the city’s total public-school enrollment. It also introduces twice-yearly AI critical-thinking modules for high-school students, five limited AI pilot programmes and age-appropriate screen-time restrictions.
Mamdani: Human connection must remain central
Mayor Mamdani said schools should prioritise teachers, relationships and independent thinking rather than allowing technology to replace essential elements of childhood education.
“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,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary. We do not see it that way. That’s why we’re implementing a moratorium on generative AI for students in 2-K through 8th grade and spending the next year studying the impacts of this technology.”
The administration says the moratorium represents the most expansive student-facing AI restriction in the nation. Student-facing generative AI software will be eliminated from grades 2-K through eighth grade, while companion chatbots will be prohibited across all grades.
Governor Hochul backs the approach
New York Governor Kathy Hochul welcomed the city’s decision, stressing the need to ensure technology contributes positively to children’s education.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that rapidly-changing technology supports our children and their learning, rather than getting in the way of it,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “New York State has been leading the way in our efforts to keep kids focused on learning and growing — not clicking and scrolling — and I commend Mayor Mamdani for building on this work and pushing our shared commitment to supporting New York’s kids forward.”
Chancellor Samuels calls for evidence-based guardrails
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the policy is designed to protect human interaction while preparing students to develop critical-thinking skills.
“As Chancellor and as a parent, I believe our job is to protect what makes learning work, while ensuring every child has the critical thinking skills they need before graduating,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “We’re putting guardrails in place to protect the human connection, curiosity and creativity that help children grow. We’re standing firmly in our belief that innovation does not mean more technology, and over the next year, we will lead with evidence to make sure technology serves learning — not the other way around.”
Technology in Schools Coalition to assess policy
During the 2026–27 school year, a new Technology in Schools Coalition will bring together students, educators, parent leaders, elected officials, advocates, union partners and experts to evaluate the moratorium and limited AI pilots. The coalition is expected to publish recommendations for subsequent school years.
Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams said the city has a responsibility to ensure that AI benefits rather than harms children’s development.
“As artificial intelligence rapidly expands into students’ lives, our city government has a responsibility to ensure this technology is serving, and not hurting, their development,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “This ban on student-facing AI for our youngest students, as well as age-appropriate screen time restrictions, are important steps in the right direction. Using this as a foundation but not a final word, we must continue to thoroughly review technologies that are entering the classroom and institute guardrails that promote the safety and well-being of New Yorkers.”
High-school students to receive AI literacy education
While generative AI will be restricted for younger students, the policy takes a more limited and educational approach in high schools.
Up to 50,000 high-school students, or approximately 5% of the city’s public-school student body, will participate in five limited AI pilots. All high-school students will also receive twice-yearly AI literacy classes designed to help them critically evaluate AI before relying on it.
The two 45-minute modules will cover what AI is and is not, AI-related bias and risks, ethical considerations, and potential impacts on careers and future skills.
The pilot programmes will operate under direct supervision of trained educators and use vetted AI tools selected according to safety, privacy and teacher-guided learning standards.
Five AI tools selected for limited pilots
The programmes include Quill for English language arts, Edia for mathematics, Brisk Teaching for teacher-created activities, Playlab for assignments across subjects, and Intel AI-Ready Schools for semester-long projects focused on community problems and AI solutions.
Teachers will remain permitted to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks, provided the tools comply with NYC Public Schools safety standards. Exceptions will also apply to assistive technology for students with disabilities, multilingual learners and students participating in career-readiness programmes such as computer science.
Screen time also comes under new restrictions
The policy introduces screen-time recommendations for younger students. Students in second grade and below will face restricted one-to-one screen time, while recommended daily limits are 30 minutes for grades 3–5 and 45 minutes for grades 6–8.
NYC Public Schools will also conduct an exhaustive review of technology tools used across the system. Tools judged not to be mission-critical to learning could be barred. The review will consider vendor accountability, safety and transparency, ethics, learning design, instructional impact, previous research and user feedback.
Education technology leaders welcome cautious approach
Assemblymember Robert Carroll, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, said:
“Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chancellor Kamar Samuels are taking a thoughtful and responsible approach to AI in our schools. Early-grade education must be rooted in building foundational skills through evidence-based practices, not experimenting on children with rapidly evolving technology. As Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, I introduced similar legislation, and I’m proud to serve on the advisory panel that will help New York City determine where AI can genuinely improve education while protecting students and preserving appropriate exceptions for children with disabilities.”
Councilwoman Rita Joseph, Higher Education Chair, said the policy protects younger learners while preparing older students for a changing technological environment.
“The AI policy set forth today protects the city’s youngest learners and prepares high school students to tackle the changing landscape they will graduate into. This policy is appropriately careful and responsive to community voices. I look forward to working closely with the Technology in Schools Coalition to further develop this policy and ensure accountability. As the coming wave of technology emerges, young people will be on the forefront — it will be their creativity, and ingenuity will lead the way. Our responsibility is to establish guardrails, such as these, to help them do it responsibly. This is a good step in that direction,” said Councilwoman Rita Joseph.
State Senator Jabari Brisport, a former middle-school teacher, also welcomed the combination of a temporary ban and controlled pilots.
“As a former middle school teacher, I’m so pleased to see that our Mayor is taking a nuanced approach to a new and rapidly changing educational tool. We took too long to respond to the effects of social media and smart phones on our youth. This combination of a 1-year ban with select pilot programs allows us to take a serious look at AI usage in schools and find a path that allows our students to adapt to our changing world in a safe manner,” said State Senator Jabari Brisport.
Council Member Lincoln Restler said the restrictions could provide time to develop longer-term policies.
“This one-year ban on student-facing artificial intelligence technology use and restrictions on screen time through eighth grade are the right policies for optimal student learning and development,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “Credit to Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels for listening to students, parents, teachers and administrators and protecting our young people from the potentially harmful effects of untested technology. This pause alongside a commitment to meaningfully engage stakeholders in the months ahead will allow us to craft long term policies amid a rapidly changing technology landscape.”
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, Chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childcare Education, highlighted the role of parents and community groups in shaping the policy.
“The announcement made by NYCPS detailing a whole new guidance on AI tools for students and teachers is a strong testament to parent and community organizing around protecting our kids,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “AI is all around us, and while there are plenty of benefits to certain tools, there are also significant harms and we must foster the safest environments for our children. I am particularly encouraged by the greater accountability for tech vendors and the absence of student facing AI for our youngest scholars. I believe the Administration and NYCPS listened to parent and community concerns and I look forward to how this guidance will involve with the same principles.”
Jackson: Education must develop independent thinkers
State Senator Robert Jackson offered one of the strongest philosophical arguments for limiting AI dependence in education.
“We should never confuse a machine’s ability to produce an answer with a child’s ability to arrive at one. There is something sacred in the struggle to understand: the question asked twice, the page wrestled with, the mistake that becomes discovery, the teacher who sees possibility before a student sees it in themselves,” said State Senator Robert Jackson. “That is where intellect is formed and independence begins. In a democracy, we educate children not simply to know things, but to question, discern, imagine, and ultimately think for themselves. I commend Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels for recognizing that progress must earn its place in the classroom. Technology will continue to change, but our obligation must remain constant: childhood must never be the price we pay for innovation.”
State Senator Andrew Gounardes similarly argued that children’s educational needs should come before commercial interests.
“Tech companies have forced their way into every corner of kids’ lives with big promises of benefits but little evidence to back them up. Enough is enough,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “These new rules are an important step toward ensuring our kids’ needs come before Big Tech’s profits. By putting smart, thoughtful guardrails around the use of tech in schools, we can ensure learning comes first. Thanks to Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels for working to give our children the education they need and deserve.”
AI literacy remains a priority
Council Member Gale A. Brewer stressed that students nevertheless need to understand AI because of its growing influence on education and employment.
“AI is changing how we learn and work, and our kids need to be prepared to use it safely, think critically, and interrogate the information it produces,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “I am encouraged that NYC Public Schools is taking a comprehensive approach to AI literacy in K–8 and more focused instruction in high school, and I look forward to the program being shared with parents and staff. Thank you to Chancellor Kamar Samuels and Mayor Mamdani for preparing our students for a rapidly changing world.”
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon pointed to concerns about the reliability and behaviour of rapidly evolving AI systems.
“The recent METR OpenAI report demonstrated how easily AI models can run amok, literally learning how to lie and cheat while covering their tracks to evade being caught deviating from their original code. Our ability to use generative AI with confidence that it won’t turn on our kids and do something else is tenuous at best. The policies announced today are well thought out, age-appropriate, and comprehensive — allowing for carefully chosen pilots for high schoolers and for those AI tools that provide access for students with disabilities and English language learners. Thank you, Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels, for pumping the brakes and creating this detailed policy,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.
Council Member Eric Dinowitz, who has worked as a special education teacher, said technology must be introduced through deliberate and evidence-based processes.
“As a 14-year public school special education teacher and Chair of the City Council’s Education Committee, I’ve seen how quickly new technology can outpace a school system’s ability to manage it responsibly,” said Council Member Eric Dinowitz. “My committee’s recent oversight hearing made clear the DOE needs a deliberate, evidence-based approach before AI tools reach classrooms unchecked. I applaud Chancellor Kamar Samuels’ work on this policy and look forward to continuing our work together to ensure our students are kept safe and that technologies support and enhance learning.”
Technology sector calls for balance
Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels said students need both AI literacy and strong protections.
“AI and technology are central to New York’s economic future, as underscored by last week’s CBRE report showing that New York City now has more tech jobs than the Bay Area. We’re encouraged that high schoolers will have access to AI career readiness tools that can help prepare them for the workforce, and we recommend expanding this access beyond one hour per week in the future. At the same time, strong guardrails should enable age-appropriate learning that puts safety first, even at younger grades. Preparing youth for adult life and workplaces that rely on technology will require students to understand AI, question it, and use it safely, under the guidance of teachers. These are incredibly complex issues, and we give Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels credit for listening to all sides and creating a task force, which I am proud to serve on, to help shape what comes next,” said Julie Samuels.
A major test for AI and education
New York City’s policy represents an attempt to strike a balance between two competing priorities: protecting children from potentially premature or poorly governed use of generative AI while ensuring that students develop the skills necessary to navigate an increasingly AI-driven economy.
Rather than imposing a blanket prohibition across every educational setting, the city has combined a K–8 moratorium with controlled high-school pilots, AI literacy education, teacher-supervised applications, technology reviews and specific exceptions for accessibility and career-readiness programmes.
The coming school year will therefore serve as a significant test of whether carefully controlled exposure to AI can coexist with the traditional foundations of education—teachers, human relationships, curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and independent learning.
