Overview
- In early September New York City announced a one-year moratorium on generative AI for pre‑K through eighth grade and Los Angeles Unified barred student use of generative AI on district devices for the school year.
- New York City told schools it would discontinue or disable the AI components of roughly 38 approved programs and has ordered vendors to notify the district when products add AI features.
- The city will permit a small number of rigorously vetted high‑school pilot programs and require twice‑yearly AI literacy modules for high school students to teach risks, bias, and critical use.
- School leaders and unions say the short notice creates enforcement and detection burdens for principals and teachers, and the department has said misuse should carry the same consequences as plagiarism.
- Other districts and local candidates, including in Chicago, are proposing similar limits, and experts warn moratoria could protect short‑term learning while also risking wider equity gaps for students who would benefit from supervised AI instruction.