NYC Announces One-Year Ban on Student Use of AI in Schools

New Delhi, September 03, 2026 New York City has announced a one-year moratorium on the use of artificial intelligence by students in public elementary and middle schools. The decision marks one of the strongest restrictions on AI use in classrooms in the United States and highlights growing concerns over the impact of emerging technology on students’ learning, development and interaction with teachers and classmates. The nation’s largest school district will temporarily stop the use of around 40 educational AI tools currently being used in classrooms. While other school districts, including Los Angeles, are also reviewing their policies on artificial intelligence, New York City’s decision is being seen as the most restrictive step taken so far. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the decision on Wednesday, stressing the importance of teachers and personal interaction in a child’s education. “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. The new policy will impact around 600,000 public school students up to eighth grade. High school students will, however, be allowed to use AI in certain situations. Teachers will also continue to use AI for purposes such as lesson planning and administrative tasks, including scheduling, according to a city statement. Meanwhile, major AI developers Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. New York City had previously imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT soon after its launch in 2022. The restriction was later lifted and replaced with a customised AI-powered teaching assistant, according to Microsoft, a part-owner of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The latest one-year moratorium signals a renewed effort by the city to carefully regulate AI in education while ensuring that human connection, independent thinking and classroom learning remain at the centre of students’ development.