Starting in the 2026-27 school year, New York City will ban students from using generative AI themselves, from 2-K (age 2) through 8th grade, for one year. Companion chatbots that act as conversation partners will be blocked outright in every grade, and screen-time caps by grade level will also be introduced. The measures cover about 600,000 students, two-thirds of all enrolled students.
Starting in the 2026-27 school year, New York City will ban students from directly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) from 2-K (the two-year-old program) through 8th grade for one year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced the policy on Sept. 2. The city Department of Education said the ban covers about 600,000 students, two-thirds of all enrolled students. All software with generative AI features that students use is covered, and companion chatbots that act as conversation partners are banned in all grades.
Different standards apply to high school students. All high school students will take a 45-minute AI literacy class twice a year, once per semester. It will cover what AI is and is not, bias and risks, ethical issues, and its impact on jobs and future technology. Separately, five AI pilot programs will be offered to up to 50,000 high school students in general classrooms, about 5% of all students. Pilots are limited to a maximum of five classes per school and may be used only under the direct supervision of trained teachers.
Five Pilot Programs, With Weekly Usage Time Limits
The pilots are Quill (up to 15 minutes per week) for English classes, Edia (up to 20 minutes per week) for math classes, Brisk Teaching (10 to 20 minutes, once or twice a week) for teacher-created activities, Playlab (up to two assignments per grading period) for use across multiple subjects, and Intel AI-Ready Schools (one class period per week). The department said it chose these tools based on safety and data privacy standards and whether lessons are teacher-led.
Screen-time limits will also take effect. For students in 2nd grade and below, device use per student will be restricted; for grades 3 to 5, the recommended cap is 30 minutes a day, and for grades 6 to 8, 45 minutes. Teachers may continue to use AI for lesson preparation and administrative work. Students who use assistive technology for disabilities, multilingual learners, and students in career preparation courses such as computer science are exempt from the ban.
Throughout the school year, the department plans to run a "School Technology Coalition" of student, teacher and parent representatives, elected officials, unions and experts to evaluate the impact of these measures and the pilot programs, and to publish a report outlining the direction for the next school year. All technology tools used by the department will undergo a full review, and any deemed not essential to learning will be discontinued.