(TNS) \u2014 Michelle Wu and Zohran Mamdani, two of the country\u2019s most prominent progressive urban mayors, are splitting on artificial intelligence in the public school classroom \u2014 in the immediate term, at least.<\/p>\n
Wu is positioning Boston Public Schools (BPS) as the first major U.S. city to proclaim all students will graduate \u201cAI literate.\u201d<\/a> Through a $1 million public-private partnership, the city is collaborating with the University of Massachusetts Boston to design a secondary school AI curriculum (grades 7-12). A bostonpublic.ai<\/a> website outlines the \u201cholistic, ethical and human-centered\u201d vision.<\/p>\n This summer, BPS launched an inaugural cohort of \u201cAI educator ambassadors,\u201d a group of 25 teachers tasked with leading AI learning projects at their respective schools.<\/p>\n The endeavor pairs with Gov. Maura Healey\u2019s vision to make Massachusetts a global leader in AI innovation.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in New York City, Mamdani in September took a vastly different stance, announcing an expansive student-facing generative AI moratorium for preschool through eighth grade \u2014 encompassing nearly 600,000 public school students in the city.<\/p>\n Specifically, student-facing generative AI tools and companion-style chatbots are prohibited across New York City elementary and middle schools for this school year<\/a>, and the city disabling AI in nearly 40 allowed educational software programs.<\/p>\n The diverging rhetoric on AI in schools between the two mayors mirrors a broader national debate over whether tech immersion or \u201cchildhood protection\u201d should define public education in the digital age. And is some combination of both possible?<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not know what we should do about the arrival of AI in schools, and worse, historically when new technologies come around, a lot of our guesses on what to do about them are wrong,\u201d said Justin Reich, director of the Teaching Systems Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an associate professor of digital media. \u201cA lot of people say, \u2018Why don\u2019t more Massachusetts schools have AI policies?\u2019 Well, no one knows what a good AI policy is.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2025 RAND report<\/a> surveying students, parents, teachers and school leaders found 61 percent of parents felt greater AI use would harm students\u2019 critical-thinking skills. Agreeing were 55 percent of high school students and 48 percent of middle school students. Just 22 percent of district leaders shared the concern.<\/p>\n That same study showed AI use in schools is happening regardless of the worries, with 54 percent of students reporting they used it for schoolwork last year.<\/p>\n The mayors appear to be responding to different camps, Reich said: Mamdani to public anxiety around AI and Wu to optimism.<\/p>\n But Reich speculated that elementary education in Boston and New York City won\u2019t actually look that different in practice. Boston also recommends no direct AI interaction for pre-K through second grade, while New York City is taking that further through eighth grade.<\/p>\n Despite New York City\u2019s moratorium and even stricter policies playing out in Los Angeles, Reich said Wu seems to be \u201csticking with the plan\u201d \u2014 emphasizing graduating students who are ready for the modern workplace and can navigate the evolving AI future. The industry\u2019s role in BPS\u2019 approach is significant, too \u2014 with Whoop, Toast, Wayfair, Boston Dynamics and HubSpot all serving on the Boston Public AI Advisory Board, among other companies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea is that every single BPS graduate will have fluency,\u201d Wu said during a September fireside chat event at the Harvard Kennedy School. \u201cThey will know the types of tools that are available, the kinds of decision-making that happens with that. And they will be also educated on risks, ethics, challenges, and be able to really promote responsible use in a safe and guided environment so that they\u2019re out into the world (and) able to take full advantage of the opportunities, technologies and resources in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n A TALE OF TWO CITIES BPS is partnering with UMass Boston\u2019s Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute to design a dedicated \u201capplied AI\u201d high school elective. The district also has a nine-member AI Industry Advisory Board <\/a>intended to promote internships and career pathways.<\/p>\n When Wu first announced the district\u2019s endeavor<\/a>, she cited a collaboration between city government, higher education and industry \u201cthat will position Boston Public Schools as a leader in AI fluency and the understanding for all of our students to recognize the full context of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month at Harvard, comparing prohibition of AI to telling children \u201cdon\u2019t watch TV,\u201d Wu argued that cities have to be realistic about emerging technology and empower students through guided, ethical instruction.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in Boston, we already have been putting in the time over many years and with community partners and our ecosystem to have those conversations to understand the details, and things are (further), I think, along the line here in this part of the country because of who we are and also how we think about challenges,\u201d Wu said when asked directly about the different approaches in New York City and Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just days after Mamdani\u2019s announcement last month, California\u2019s largest city rolled out a ban of sorts that goes even further, restricting AI use at all grade levels.<\/p>\n Twenty-five Boston secondary school educators are piloting AI learning projects<\/a> in their classrooms this year after undergoing training this summer with Day of AI<\/a>, an AI curriculum and professional development organization. They\u2019re scheduled to participate in a district showcase and hackathon next June.<\/p>\n
In March, Wu joined BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper and tech entrepreneur Paul English to announce a $1 million public-private partnership to bring AI education to the city\u2019s students in grades 7-12.<\/p>\n