While schools embrace AI, New York City just banned it for more than half a million students

AI is already finding its way into classrooms, whether students are using ChatGPT for homework or teachers are turning to the technology to create lesson plans. New York City, however, isn’t convinced that younger students need it just yet. New York City Public Schools is introducing a sweeping moratorium on generative AI for students from 2-K through eighth grade for the 2026-2027 academic year, according to ABC News. The policy will affect more than half a million students when the new school year begins next week.

The district says it will remove software containing student-facing AI features and prohibit AI companion chatbots. High school students aren’t included in the ban, making this an attempt to draw a line around when students should begin using it. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the district will use the next year to study how generative AI affects students before deciding what comes next. “The tech industry wants us to believe that AI-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary,” Mamdani said in a statement to ABC News. “We do not see it that way.”

New York doesn’t want kids relying on AI too early

The concern isn’t simply that students might ask a chatbot to write their homework. City officials want younger students to develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and communication without immediately turning to generative AI for help. Schools are also being encouraged to prioritize connections between students and teachers rather than adding another piece of technology to the classroom.

New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the city doesn’t want to assume that innovation automatically means putting more technology in front of students. The move follows another major restriction introduced last year: a bell-to-bell cellphone policy that limits students’ access to their phones throughout the school day. AI won’t disappear completely once students reach high school, either. Instead, the district plans to offer AI literacy classes twice a year, aiming to teach teenagers how to think critically about the technology before they become dependent on it.

Schools are still figuring out where AI belongs

New York City’s approach highlights a much bigger debate happening across education. While NYC is pulling AI away from younger students, the White House has encouraged educators to responsibly incorporate the technology into classrooms. Some teachers already use AI to prepare lesson plans, organize information, provide feedback, and even help students understand difficult subjects.

At the same time, concerns about children’s relationships with technology are growing. The Department of Health and Human Services recently brought together childhood experts to discuss excessive screen use, while officials have called for stronger safeguards around both social media and AI. That’s ultimately what makes New York City’s experiment interesting. Rather than trying to figure out how much AI younger students should use, the country’s largest school district is starting with none. For the next year, at least, NYC wants to find out whether classrooms are better off keeping AI outside the door.