New York City

Mamdani Bans the Robot Teachers

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Liz Wolfe | 9.3.2026 9:30 AM

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Dare I say it? Is it possible that New York City's public schools are actually being changed for…the better these days? Not what I expected with Mayor Zohran Mamdani in charge!

Most students will now be prohibited from using generative AI until high school, with a moratorium put in place on all digital devices until third grade. Teachers for all levels will not be able to use AI in their grading of assignments. "The department is also recommending caps on screen time, such as limiting middle schoolers to no more than 45 minutes a day," reports The New York Times. "So-called companion chatbots, which offer emotional and mental support, will be banned in all grades."

"The Education Department is 'disabling' AI features in 38 existing citywide ed tech contracts," reports Chalkbeat. "Officials haven't provided a list of those companies. But Mamdani's education adviser Ailish Brady said that the widely used digital tutor Amira and the digital version of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reading curriculum—the most popular of the three mandated NYC Reads literacy programs—will both 'turn off' their AI components."

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In New Mexico, reports Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown, public schools were required to use Amira "for mandatory literacy assessments, dyslexia screenings, and weekly tutoring sessions in kindergarten through second grade." This came with a whole host of privacy and........

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