Key Takeaways
- New York City Public Schools has banned the use of generative AI for students in grades 2 through 8.
- High school students will have limited access to AI under teacher supervision.
- The policy aims to teach students to critically evaluate AI-generated information.
New York City Public Schools has introduced a new artificial intelligence policy for the 2026 academic year, restricting the use of generative AI across the city’s public school system. The policy will affect approximately 600,000 students, representing around two-thirds of the city’s public school population.
Mayor Zahran Mamdani stated that the availability of technology does not mean it should be used in every part of education. He emphasized the importance of children learning alongside teachers and classmates, solving problems and completing tasks themselves.
The new policy does not completely remove AI from schools. All high school students will receive two 45-minute AI literacy lessons each year. These sessions will cover how AI works, its limitations, information bias, data privacy, misinformation, ethical risks, and its possible impact on future jobs.
The policy will also ban companion chatbots designed to form emotional or relational connections with users. However, teachers will be allowed to use approved AI tools for lesson planning and administrative work, provided the tools meet the school system’s safety and privacy requirements.
Exceptions will remain for assistive technology used by students with disabilities, English-language learners, and students enrolled in vocational preparation programs such as computer science. The policy will also introduce limits on individual student screen use, with one-to-one screen use not allowed from K2 through grade 2.
The school system recommends a maximum of 30 minutes per day for grades 3 through 5 and 45 minutes per day for grades 6 through 8. These restrictions will not apply to assistive technology, diagnostic examinations, robotics, coding, and certain approved educational activities.
New York City will also launch five limited AI pilot programs in high schools using Quill, Edia, Brisk Teaching, Playlab, and Intel AI-Ready Schools. The programs will cover a maximum of 50,000 students and will be limited to no more than five classes in each school. Students will only be allowed to use AI under the direct supervision of a trained teacher, with usage limited to a maximum of 45 minutes per week.
The policy will also ban companion chatbots designed to form emotional or relational connections with users. The local education department plans to remove or disable AI features in more than 38 previously approved educational programs if they fail to meet the new safety and monitoring requirements.
