NYC Schools Hit the Pause Button on Generative AI in Schools

New York City just made a pretty significant decision today about the use of AI in its public schools. In a press conference this morning, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for students in Pre-K through 8th grade. AI companion chatbots will also be prohibited for students in all grades. Anytime the nation’s largest school system make s a policy decision like this - it’s pretty big news. While I understand the rationale, I do have mixed feelings about this.

I completely understand the concerns. Generative AI has entered education incredibly quickly, and we parents, teachers, administrators and researchers don't fully understand what long-term effects these tools might have on learning. There are legitimate questions about privacy, misinformation, bias, academic integrity and what happens when students begin relying on AI before they have developed the skills necessary to think independently. But I also wonder whether keeping students away from AI is the best way to address those concerns. There is a larger pedagogical question here.

For years, educators have talked about the importance of teaching students critical thinking skills. We want students to evaluate information, question sources, recognize bias and make informed decisions. I believe that Generative AI makes those skills more important, not less important. The bottom line is that like many other technologies that have come before, the students WILL access it out side of school. 100%. When you completely ban it during the school day, does that make it even more attractive for students to use? I think it does. And like other technologies, if students are going to encounter generative AI tools everywhere they go outside of school, should schools become one of the few places where they are prevented from learning how to use it? I may be in the minority here, but I am not convinced that avoidance equals preparation.

There is also an interesting philosophical question about what we believe the purpose of school actually is. Is school primarily a protected environment where students develop foundational skills without interference from emerging technologies? Or should schools help students learn how to navigate the technologies that are already reshaping the world around them? The answer is almost always somewhere in the middle. I certainly don't think that every student needs constant access to generative AI. In fact, there are plenty of situations where students should be required to work without it. They need opportunities to struggle with problems, develop ideas, make mistakes, revise their thinking and arrive at conclusions on their own. Struggling is a critically important part of learning.

At the same time, pretending that AI isn't going to become a normal part of how people work, communicate and create seems equally problematic. I think one way to find a balance between student learning and the use of tools like these is that we as teachers must change the way we assess students. As music teachers, we do this every day. When your ensemble warms up - you can “hear” their understanding. Rather than assigning written homework, focus more on creative and performance tasks that get completed during instructional time.

Interestingly, the NYC policy will still allow teachers to use approved AI tools for lesson planning and administrative work. That raises another question. If we believe these tools can help adults work more effectively, at what point do we begin teaching students how to use them effectively as well? Seems really short-sighted to me. The new policy also includes recommendations for reducing screen time and reviewing which educational technologies are truly necessary. I think that is a really healthy conversation for schools to have. More technology does not automatically mean better teaching, and every new tool should have to demonstrate that it actually improves learning.

The good news is that NYC is calling this a moratorium rather than a permanent ban. The city plans to spend the next year studying the issue and determining what responsible AI use in schools should look like. That may ultimately be the most important part of this announcement. The real challenge facing schools isn't deciding whether AI is good or bad. It is deciding when technology supports learning, when it interferes with learning, and how we prepare students to make that distinction for themselves. Because eventually, they are going to have to.

What do you think?