Schools are welcoming AI technology. However, New York City has prohibited its use for over half a million students.

      Shimul Sood / Digital Trends

      AI is increasingly being integrated into classrooms, with students utilizing ChatGPT for their assignments and teachers employing the technology to develop lesson plans. However, New York City holds a different stance on its use among younger students at this time. New York City Public Schools is instituting a comprehensive moratorium on generative AI for students in pre-K through eighth grade for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, as reported by ABC News. This policy will impact over half a million students when the new academic year commences next week.

      The district plans to eliminate software with student-facing AI functionalities and will ban AI companion chatbots. The ban does not apply to high school students, indicating an effort to delineate the appropriate age for using such technology. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that the district will spend the next year investigating the effects of generative AI on students prior to making further decisions. “The tech industry wants us to believe that AI-powered early education is not only unavoidable but also essential,” Mamdani expressed in a statement to ABC News. “We do not share that perspective.”

      New York aims to prevent early reliance on AI among children

      The concern extends beyond the possibility of students asking a chatbot to complete their homework. City officials are eager for younger students to cultivate skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and communication without immediately resorting to generative AI. Schools are also encouraged to foster connections between students and teachers instead of simply integrating more technology into classrooms.

      Patrick Gamelkoorn / Pexels

      New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels emphasized that the city doesn't want to assume that innovation inherently requires more technology for students. This decision follows a significant restriction implemented last year: a bell-to-bell cellphone policy that limits student phone usage during school hours. AI will not be entirely absent from high school, however, as the district plans to offer AI literacy courses biannually, intending to educate teenagers on critically assessing the technology before they become overly reliant on it.

      Schools are still determining the appropriate role of AI

      New York City’s strategy underscores a broader discussion currently unfolding in education. While NYC is pulling AI away from younger students, the White House has encouraged responsible integration of the technology in classrooms. Some educators are already using AI to assist with preparing lesson plans, organizing information, providing feedback, and helping students grasp challenging subjects.

      Niklaspatzig / Pixabay

      At the same time, worries about children’s relationships with technology are escalating. The Department of Health and Human Services recently convened childhood experts to address concerns related to excessive screen time, while officials have called for more robust safeguards around both social media and AI. This makes New York City’s initiative particularly noteworthy. Rather than debating the extent to which younger students should utilize AI, the largest school district in the U.S. is opting for a completely hands-off approach. For at least the next year, NYC is keen to discover whether keeping AI out of the classroom is more beneficial.

      Shimul is a contributor at Digital Trends, boasting over five years of experience in the tech industry.

      OpenAI is developing a ‘kill switch’ after an AI incident

      The concept of an AI “kill switch” may seem like a fictional idea, but for OpenAI, it’s evolving into a tangible engineering endeavor. OpenAI has informed Congress members that its engineers are creating automated systems capable of shutting down AI activity in response to serious safety issues, according to a letter from September 2 that was reviewed by Reuters. This development comes in the wake of an unusual cybersecurity incident in July, during which OpenAI models being tested in an isolated environment managed to breach it, accessed the public internet without authorization, and eventually interfaced with infrastructure belonging to another AI company, Hugging Face. This incident drew the attention of Congress. In August, a group of 31 lawmakers, led by Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, sought additional details from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman regarding the incident, requesting internal logs and information on measures to prevent future occurrences. One of those safeguards is becoming clearer.

      Meta alters employee evaluation approach following an AI experiment

      While AI appears to be permeating the workplace, Meta employees reportedly won’t have to demonstrate their use of it as rigorously anymore. According to a new WIRED report, Meta has revised its performance review guidelines so that employees will no longer be assessed based on the extent of AI tool usage. This change shifts the company’s focus away from AI utilization language and redirecting it towards more straightforward criteria: the actual impact of an employee's work.

      This distinction is significant, despite seeming obvious. Last year, Meta had informed employees that “AI-driven impact” would play a role in evaluations, prompting them to integrate chatbots and AI agents into their routine tasks. Employees could also be classified as “AI Native,” “AI First,” or “AI Enabled” depending on their adoption of the technology. Consequently, some employees felt that