ALBANY — THE CITY’S SCHOOL SYSTEM NEEDS TO PAUSE IMPLEMENTATION of artificial intelligence, so that it can be further examined, warns state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who represents much of western Brooklyn.
Gounardes sent a letter on Friday to New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, encouraging him to pause AI implementation in city schools, arguing that stronger privacy protections are needed for kids and that teachers should have clearer guidelines and strong guardrails to ensure students’ needs are met.
The comment period for a document titled “Guidance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) March 2026, which was originally released in March, expired on May 8, the date of Gounardes’ letter. The guidance aims to define both artificial intelligence and NYCPS’s commitment to students with regard to AI.
Pointing out that leaders in his district responded negatively to the guidance, Gounardes stated that a pause would allow teachers, parents and schools to be more actively involved in establishing sensible standards for AI use.
He also raised several potential concerns, among them that the proposed guidelines do not reflect the need for strong data privacy and student protection; that they don’t address alleged slower cognitive development in students who use AI tools; and that they don’t differentiate between younger and more advanced age groups. Gounardes wrote that the guidance fails to define regulations on thorny issues and it skips training on the fundamentals in using AI.
Gounardes added the guidance did not have sufficient public input and that the comment period was too short, incorporating days when school was not in session, such as for school breaks and religious holidays.
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