The news conference, hosted by the American Federation of Teachers, the United Federation of Teachers and Microsoft, comes as students return to classrooms amid growing concerns over screen time, cell phone use and the rapid expansion of AI technology in education.
Last week, Mamdani announced a one-year prohibition on student-facing generative AI for younger students, while also rolling out new AI literacy instruction for all public high school students twice a year. The city is also planning pilot programs that would allow some high school students to use approved AI platforms under teacher supervision, while banning companion chatbots across all grade levels.
"We know the purpose of AI companies... it is to produce a profit. Here in NYC, our purpose is our students," Mamdani said while announcing the policy. "It doesn't matter how profitable a product is, if it doesn't help our students learn and grow, we will not use that product."
The city's restrictions have drawn a mixed response from teachers unions. While the UFT has expressed support for limits on screen use for younger students, union president Michael Mulgrew said the AI policy leaves significant questions unanswered, including how the Department of Education will ensure the educational technology products it purchases contain adequate AI safeguards.
The news conference is expected to begin at 10 a.m.
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