New York restricts the use of artificial intelligence in its public schools

New York will ban the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for students in the city's public schools until third grade, a source close to the matter told AFP on Wednesday, confirming information from several local media. When asked, the town hall and the New York Department of Education did not respond immediately.

The use of AI will only be permitted from high school, which begins in third grade in the American school system. It will nevertheless be limited to specific applications such as knowledge of this technology or a few pilot programs.

According to the New York Times, chatbots presented as AI companions offering psychological support will also be prohibited. The question of controlling the use of AI arises, because it often occurs outside of school and in the private sphere. The rules, however, provide that teachers can use AI as part of their job, to prepare lessons or write messages. The Department of Education also recommends that screen time be limited, to 45 minutes in class for middle school students (6th to 4th grade in the American system) and 30 minutes for elementary school students.

These new rules must be officially presented on Wednesday. They follow a first document published in March. Deemed not very restrictive, it triggered an outcry among many parents and teachers. This framework authorized AI for public school students in New York for “research, exploration and creative projects”. Faced with the outcry, the rector of New York, Kamar Samuels, estimated that the authorities had “missed the boat” in their communication and assured that his services were “studying very closely” the possibility of more rigid instructions for use by the youngest. It had always been planned that the March document would be followed by a more comprehensive “booklet” later this year, to take into account feedback from the public consultation.

The technological orientations of New York public schools are closely followed in the rest of the United States and beyond, because it is, by far, the largest academy in the country, with just over 900,000 students in 2024-2025. The Department of Education will form a working group including teachers, elected officials, experts, union representatives, responsible for producing a report in April 2027 intended to serve as a basis for New York's policy regarding AI in schools.