New York City is moving to restrict classroom AI use for younger public school students, with a new Department of Education policy that bars students from using AI until high school and bans companion chatbots across all grades. The Verge reports that Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the policy, describing it as a one-year moratorium for the 2026–2027 school year. The rule will affect about 600,000 students in 2-K through eighth grade, according to The Verge. Techmeme’s summary of Matthew Haag’s New York Times report also says the city’s education department has adopted a policy barring public school students from using AI until high school and banning companion chatbots in all grades. The policy does not amount to a blanket ban on every school-related AI use. The Verge reports that teachers may still use AI for lesson planning, but will be barred from using AI tools to grade assignments. Exceptions may be granted for tools that support students with disabilities or multilingual students, as well as for specific purposes such as computer science programs. For high school students, the city is taking a narrower approach. The Verge reports that high school-aged students will be permitted to use AI only in specific instances and will be offered AI literacy classes twice a year. The stated aim, according to The Verge’s account of the city’s announcement, is to help students think critically about the technology before becoming dependent on it. The policy is also paired with broader limits on classroom technology. The Verge reports that individual screens will be banned until third grade, and that the department is issuing recommended screen-time limits, including a maximum of 45 minutes per day for middle schoolers. NYC is leaving room for a small amount of controlled experimentation. The Verge says a limited AI pilot will run in up to five classes across a small number of high school classrooms, using tools vetted for safety and data privacy standards. The reported tools include Quill for English-language support, Edia for math, Brisk Teaching for study practice, and Playlab and Intel AI-Ready Schools for multi-subject support. The move follows New York City’s earlier bell-to-bell ban on personal internet-enabled electronic devices, including smartphones, for the 2025–2026 school year, according to The Verge. NYC district leaders describe the AI moratorium as one of the most restrictive in the United States, while The Verge notes that some countries, including Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have pursued national changes around technology use and children. Who benefits: Teachers retain some room to use AI for lesson planning, and vendors in vetted high-school pilots may get limited access to classrooms. Students with disabilities or multilingual students may also benefit where exceptions are granted for support tools. Who's exposed: AI education companies targeting younger students face the clearest constraint in NYC public schools. Companion chatbot providers are especially exposed because the reported ban applies across all grades.