Over two dozen City Council members have signed a letter urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to immediately pause the use of generative artificial intelligence in public schools.
Twenty-nine members signed the letter as part of a growing push for a two-year moratorium on the technology.
What You Need To Know
City Council members have signed on to a letter urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to immediately pause the use of generative AI in public schools
The city initially shared a framework for AI guidance in March, and was met with negative feedback
Last month, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels acknowledged the guidelines had missed the mark
“This letter is about standing up for students and championing equity, and taking a responsible look at how we are utilizing tech in the classroom,” Councilmember Alexa Aviles said at a rally outside City Hall Tuesday.
The city shared a framework for AI guidance in March, opening it up for public comment. However, much of that feedback was negative.
Officials said final guidance would come in June, but so far, have not said when that might come.
Last month, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels acknowledged the guidelines had missed the mark.
“We agree with you, Chancellor. The [Department of Education] missed the mark, and now we have an opportunity to work collaboratively with all of us, with parents, with teachers, with educational stakeholders to figure out what is best for our kids,” State Senator Andrew Gounardes said.
The DOE said it is reviewing that feedback to develop a stakeholder-informed AI policy with more guardrails.
“The prior administration hit the gas on AI without genuine family engagement. That is not the approach Chancellor Samuels will be taking,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Earlier this year, New York City Public Schools took the first step to put initial guardrails in place while developing a policy to protect our students in partnership with families and communities. We will be sharing more soon.”
But some educators worry the technology is already working its way into classrooms, even unintentionally.
One theater teacher asked students to type up artist statements about scenes they’d written, and found some of them riddled with characters that didn’t exist and other hallmarks of AI writing.
“Some of my students who are English language learners had used Google Translate for support, and Google Translate has a new advanced feature that will automatically use Gemini to enhance your language. The feature was turned on, on all of their Chromebook, without their knowledge,” another teacher said at the rally.
The mayor was asked about the push for a moratorium last week on WNYC, but said little.
“We are firmly focused on developing a response to AI, not just for the city as a whole, but frankly, also for our New York City public school system,” Mamdani said.