AI restrictions are spreading across U.S. schools as districts and local officials reconsider how students should use the technology in classrooms.
New York City has restricted student-facing AI for younger students, while Los Angeles Unified has imposed a moratorium on AI use on school devices for the 2026-27 school year. Chicago school board candidates are also pushing for a three-year moratorium, according to a report published by Axios on Monday.
Schools Draw New Lines
The moves reflect a growing debate over whether artificial intelligence should be treated primarily as a learning tool or as a technology that could weaken independent thinking and make it harder for teachers to assess student work.
New York City’s policy does not amount to a complete AI ban. It restricts student-facing generative AI through eighth grade while allowing teachers to use AI for planning and operational tasks and permitting limited, supervised high-school pilots.
Parents have also raised concerns about children interacting with chatbots at very young ages. Nicki Petrossi, a mother and co-founder of the Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, told Axios that one parent described today’s children as “the guinea pig generation.”
At the same time, enforcing broad restrictions could prove difficult because AI tools are already embedded in classroom technology. Google’s Gemini, for example, can appear when students search on school Chromebooks, according to the report.
AI Debate Widens
Johns Hopkins University professor Steve Hanke has argued that AI-generated student work can be easy for experienced educators to identify when it suddenly exceeds a student’s usual writing or knowledge. He has also said he has “absolutely no problem with AI and students,” pointing to the distinction between using AI as a tool and replacing a student’s own work.
Anthropic has taken the opposite approach by expanding AI into schools, launching Claude for Teachers to help U.S. K-12 educators with lesson planning, classroom materials, assessments and administrative tasks.
Janice Jackson, executive director of the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program and former Chicago Public Schools CEO, told Axios that sweeping bans could remove useful technology for special-needs and English-language learners.
“The jury is still out on the quality of each policy,” Jackson told Axios, adding that the technology is still very new.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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