What you should know #
Representing the most expansive student-facing AI policy in the country, the Mamdani administration prioritizes student safety and real, human instruction
**NEW YORK – **Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels today announced a moratorium on student-facing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in schools, alongside a new screen time policy, a decision that will impact nearly 600,000 public school students, or two-thirds of the system’s total enrollment. The policy establishes a one-year moratorium, effective in the 2026-2027 school year, on student-facing generative AI for children in 2-K through 8th grade. It also introduces twice-yearly AI critical thinking modules for high schoolers, limited AI pilots for a small number of high school classrooms and age-appropriate screen time restrictions.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Representing the most expansive student-facing AI moratorium in the nation, the new policy eliminates AI use for students in grades 2-K through 8th grade. This includes all software that uses student-facing generative AI. Companion chatbots will be prohibited across all grades.
Throughout the 2026-27 school year, a new Technology in Schools Coalition, made up of students, educators, parent leaders, elected officials, advocates, union partners and experts in the field will convene to assess the impact of the moratorium and limited pilots. The coalition will publish a report with recommendations for future school years.
For a maximum of 50,000 high school students in general education classes, or approximately 5% of the public-school student body, five limited AI pilots will be introduced. All high school students will also have access to twice-yearly AI literacy classes designed to help them think critically about AI before they begin to rely on it. The two 45-minute modules will introduce students to what AI is and is not, as well as AI-related bias, risks, ethical considerations and impacts on careers and future skills.
The limited pilots will be offered at a maximum of five classes per high school. All use will take place under the direct supervision of a trained educator and will involve carefully vetted AI tools. The pilots were selected based on rigorous safety and data privacy standards, their focus on teacher-guided instruction and their commitment to keeping students as the primary thinker in the classroom.
Pilot programs include:
Quill: Accessed by English language arts classrooms, Quill is designed to support close reading, text analysis and the use of evidence to support claims. Students will use Quill for no more than 15 minutes per week.Edia: Accessed by math classrooms, Edia is designed to provide step-by-step coaching and prompt students to explain their reasoning. Students will use Edia for no more than 20 minutes per week.Brisk Teaching: Accessed through teacher-created activities, Brisk Teaching is designed to provide guided practice using teacher-selected texts or videos, with objectives and guardrails set by the teacher. Students will use Brisk Boost for 10 to 20 minutes once or twice per week.Playlab: To be used across multiple subjects, Playlab is designed to help students engage with assignment-specific applications and examine AI outputs for bias and reasoning. No more than two assignments per marking period will use Playlab.Intel AI-Ready Schools: To be used across multiple subjects, Intel AI-Ready Schools is designed to help students identify community problems and develop AI solutions through semester-long projects. Students will use the tool for one period per week.
Teachers will continue to be permitted to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks, provided all tools comply with NYCPS safety standards. Exceptions to the policy will be granted for assistive technology usage by students with disabilities, multilingual learners and students participating in career readiness programs, like computer science.
With this new policy, students in 2nd grade and below will see restricted 1:1 screen time, with recommended caps of 30 minutes a day for students in 3rd grade through 5th grade and 45 minutes for students in 6th grade through 8th grade.
Under the new policy, all technology tools used in NYCPS will undergo an exhaustive review and will be barred if their functionality is ultimately determined not to be mission-critical to learning. The review will include vendor accountability for safety and transparency standards, ethics, evidence of learning design and instructional impact, prior research and the continuous collection of user feedback.
“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,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.
“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, Higher Education Chair.
“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.
“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 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.”
“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.”
“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 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, with age-appropriate 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.”
“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.
“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 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.”
“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 Tech:NYC President & CEO Julie Samuels.