NY bans AI-powered chatbots from schools up to 8th grade
New York City has banned artificial intelligence chatbots in its classrooms at elementary and middle school levels — impacting 600,000 students. The reason? “Cognitive capitulation” or letting AI do the thinking for you.
New York City has banned AI chatbots from its classrooms for grades K–8 — impacting 600,000 students. Schools are barred from using AI for assessments and are removing student screens in grades below third. The ban goes into effect at the start of the next school year in September 2026.
The city is resisting industry hype around the “inevitability” of AI in schools. Its main concern is “cognitive capitulation,” when students cease to think for themselves and allow AI to do the thinking for them. The city has formed a commission to come up with long-term policy by April 2027.
Source: the-decoder.com
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Author
Evgenii Arsentev
PhD · Chief Executive Officer, digital health
Articles · Latest articles