NYC council members urge pause on AI rollout in schools as backlash grows
Twenty-nine City Council members signed a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels this week calling for an immediate pause on AI, citing concerns that the Department of Education’s draft guidance fails to address potential risks.
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A growing debate over the use of artificial intelligence in New York City classrooms is intensifying, with dozens of City Council members urging the mayor and schools chancellor to halt its rollout.
Twenty-nine City Council members signed a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels this week calling for an immediate pause, citing concerns that the Department of Education’s draft guidance fails to address potential risks.
“It offers no measures on how the documented risks of AI will impact student learning, cognitive development, basic skills, creativity, critical thinking, mental health, and the environment,” the lawmakers wrote.
The DOE had been expected to release final AI guidelines this month, but that timeline is now in question as opposition grows.
Earlier this year, the department introduced draft guidance using a “red-light, green-light” system. The framework encourages teachers to use AI for lessons and communication, but discourages its use for grading or discipline.
"We need not to pump the brakes, we need a full stop," said Jim Baker, a parent of NYC public-school students and a member of the Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, "What I would like is for Chancellor Samuels to recognize that need and to act accordingly and for the mayor to move in the right direction along with the City Council."
The proposal quickly drew criticism from parents, educators and privacy advocates, who said it lacked clarity and meaningful public input, while raising concerns about student data protection.
“Even when it said you should not do certain things, other parts of the guidance still allowed it,” said Leonie Haimson, co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. “It was confusing, incoherent, and weak.”
Officials at City Hall are signaling they may reconsider their approach.
"We are considering all of the options in front of us,” Mamdani said.
He added that the administration is taking a different approach from its predecessor.
“The last administration hit the gas on AI and allowed it to move forward without the requisite genuine engagement the process deserves,” Mamdani said. “Our administration is taking a different approach. Earlier this year, our NYC public school system did take the first steps to put the guardrails in place while developing a policy to protect our students in partnership with families and with communities, and I know the chancellor has been having a number of conversations to that end. We will be putting out something in addition to that soon.”
A spokesperson for Samuels shared a statement to a similar tune.
"The prior administration hit the gas on AI without genuine family engagement. That is not the approach Chancellor Samuels will be taking. 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," a spokesperson from NYC Public Schools said.
The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, along with the entire AIM Coalition (A.I. Moratorium for New York City Schools) as well as multiple citywide and national organizations recently met with the chancellor.
Haimson says they are still pushing for a broader reset.
“We need a full restart,” Haimson said. “Until there are rigorous protections for students, there should be no AI in the classroom.”
The City Council is planning an oversight hearing on the use of artificial intelligence in schools on June 24.
