New York City officials announced a one-year moratorium on students using artificial intelligence in public elementary and middle schools, the latest step by public officials to set guidelines around new technology in the classroom.

The move by the nation's largest school district is the most restrictive to date across the U.S., though other districts, including Los Angeles, have said they are reviewing AI policies.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday that schools would halt the current use of about 40 educational tools in New York City classrooms.

“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,” Mamdani said at a press conference.

Major AI developers Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The policy will affect about 600,000 public school students through eighth grade, while high school students will be allowed to use AI in some cases. Teachers will be permitted to use AI for lesson planning and tasks such as scheduling, the city said in a statement.

New York City public schools previously imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT soon after its rollout in 2022. The restriction was later lifted and replaced by a custom AI-powered teaching assistant, according to Microsoft, part-owner of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.      

Source: Reuters

– Agencies