New York mayor bans AI for school children for this school year
- Published
The Mayor of New York in the United States has announced a temporary ban on using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the city's public schools.
Generative AI are algorithms like ChatGPT that can make content based on what you ask it to make, called a prompt.
Zohan Mamdani announced elementary and middle school pupils (up to age 14) won't be allowed to use AI over the next school year, affecting around 600,000 students.
Mayor Mamdani said: "Children need their teachers and human connection in order to learn and in order to grow.
"They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own."
What do you think, should generative AI be banned in schools? Let us know in the comments below.
BBC reporter Samira Hussain reports on New York mayor's ban on generative AI in schools
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The policy will also introduce new guidance for screen time for children while in school.
It's recommended children in grades three to five (UK year four to six) should only have up to 30 minutes of screen time while students in grades six to eight (UK year seven to nine) should be limited to 45 minutes.
Pupils in all years, including those at high school, will be banned from using companion chatbots.
High schoolers will have to learn about AI literacy twice a year and AI education programmes will be tested over the year.
Mayor Mamdani said the policy will be closely monitored throughout the year, saying the policy is not "set in stone" and they will look at what works and what doesn't.
Zohran Mamdani said the policy is a "commitment to getting the future right"
Announcing the policy, Mayor Mamdani compared the reasoning behind the move to cooking saying a six-year-old is "too young to slice an onion, to fry an egg, or to use a stove safely," but by 16 becomes mature enough to learn.
He added: "Just because technology is everywhere doesn't mean that it belongs everywhere.
"We will embrace new technology, but only when it serves our students.
"We want to ensure that we are actually providing tools to our students that we know to be beneficial as opposed to tools that we know to be profitable."