WSJ Tech News Briefing · Wednesday, September 2, 2026
New York City has implemented a one-year ban on the use of AI in public school classrooms for students from pre-school through eighth grade. The decision, announced by Mayor Eric Adams, comes as city officials plan to study the technology's impact and develop AI literacy classes for high schoolers. While chatbots will be prohibited, teachers will still be permitted to use AI for instructional planning.
“New York City is banning the use of AI in public school classrooms through middle school for one year, while officials study the impact of the technology.”
“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary. We do not see it that way.”
“The ban will cover roughly 600,000 students from pre-school through eighth grade.”