‘미 최대 학군’ 뉴욕 공립학교서 새 학기부터 1년간 ‘AI 사용 금지’

The New York City Department of Education has announced a one-year ban on artificial intelligence tool usage for kindergarten through 8th-grade students, effective from the start of the new school year. This move comes as part of a broader initiative to limit digital device usage time. The decision was made after a press conference held with Mayor Maimamuddin and Schools Chancellor Kamal Samuel, who revealed that all students aged 6 to 14 would be prohibited from using any generative artificial intelligence software for a full academic year.

For high school students (ages 14 to 18), there will be two annual sessions to teach AI literacy. However, selected AI programs can be used under teacher supervision, and exceptions will be made for students with disabilities, multilingual backgrounds, or those pursuing computer science careers. Teachers are allowed to use AI for lesson planning and administrative tasks.

The city has also introduced a screen time limit, with elementary students (grades 3-5) restricted to 30 minutes and middle schoolers (grades 6-8) to 45 minutes of electronic device use per day. Students in grades 2 and below will not be allowed to use 1:1 devices during this period. A task force comprising students, teachers, parents, school officials, and experts will evaluate the impact of the AI ban.

The ban is a revival of New York's previous temporary ban on AI use following the release of ChatGPT last year. The mayor emphasized the importance of human interaction and peer development for children, while cautioning against early exposure to AI education. This trend of limiting AI tool usage in schools is spreading globally, with Los Angeles being the next largest school district to implement a similar ban last June for children as young as pre-kindergarten.

Currently, around 80 AI and digital device restrictions are in place across 24 U.S. states. The NYC teachers union welcomed the screen time limits but called for more aggressive demands from education officials to require AI companies to implement safety features.