A majority of New York City Council members on Tuesday urged the mayor and the schools chancellor to pause the use of artificial intelligence in the city\u2019s schools, saying that the technology poses a \u201crisk to student learning and mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
The request was conveyed in a letter<\/a> signed by 29 of the city\u2019s 51 council members, who said that they had a range of concerns with A.I. in the classroom, including the technology\u2019s effect on students\u2019 cognitive development, critical thinking and privacy. The council members joined a growing roster of parents across the city who have spoken out against the technology as well as screens in the classroom, with some demanding a moratorium on A.I. in schools.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge you to hold off and pause the use of A.I. in our schools except for education on the multiple risks in employing the technology until rigorous guardrails can be developed with public and expert input, to prevent serious damage to N.Y.C. children and their future,\u201d the council members wrote.<\/p>\n The letter adds to the pressure that Mayor Zohran Mamdani has faced in recent weeks to rein in the technology in public schools. Mr. Mamdani has repeatedly sidestepped question<\/a>s about his opinion on an A.I. pause. But he has said that he understands parents\u2019 concerns about technology and suggested he supports reducing screen time at school.<\/p>\n School districts across the United States have deployed A.I. chatbots and software for teaching and learning, and some have gone further, creating A.I.-themed schools<\/a>. The New York City school system, led by Kamar Samuels, the chancellor, has moved relatively slower<\/a>, even temporarily blocking access to ChatGPT after it was first released, and has yet to fully embrace the technology like some of its peers.<\/p>\n But the use of A.I. applications by teachers and students has expanded in New York schools, and officials at the city\u2019s Department of Education have been working in recent months on the school system\u2019s first guide to how teachers can incorporate artificial intelligence into their work and classrooms. The final version is expected to be published this summer.<\/p>\n The school system released a preliminary version of the guide<\/a> in March. It explains when A.I. is prohibited, when it should be used with caution and when it could be a helpful tool. Teachers could use A.I. to create lesson plans, for instance, but not to grade homework.<\/p>\n More than 6,000 people submitted feedback about the guide to the Education Department, with many making comments critical of the technology. In New York City and beyond<\/a>, the pushback to A.I. has grown in recent months, uniting parents across age groups and backgrounds.<\/p>\n