Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday that schools would halt the use of around 40 AI-powered educational tools currently being used in classrooms.
Mamdani said children need teachers and human interaction to learn and develop, adding that students should build relationships with educators, work alongside their peers and learn to tackle difficult problems independently.
The policy will affect around 600,000 public school students through eighth grade. High school students will still be allowed to use AI in certain circumstances.
Teachers, however, will be permitted to use AI for tasks including lesson planning and scheduling, according to the city.
The move comes as school districts across the United States are developing policies to regulate the use of AI in education. Other major districts, including Los Angeles, are also reviewing their AI policies.
Major AI companies including Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New York City public schools had previously imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT shortly after the AI chatbot was launched in 2022. The restriction was later lifted and replaced with a customised AI-powered teaching assistant, according to Microsoft.
The latest policy reflects growing concerns among education officials over the impact of AI tools on students’ learning, problem-solving skills and interaction with teachers and classmates.
