New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced a one-year ban on AI in schools, which he said could affect 600,000 public school students. And the tech world has a lot to say.
On Wednesday, Mamdani proposed a moratorium that would ban the use of AI in schools for children from 2-K — school for two-year-olds — to eighth grade. High school students will get “twice-yearly AI critical thinking modules.” The ban also includes screen time restrictions adjusted for the students’ grade level.
The same day, Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the US, introduced its own moratorium on AI for the rest of the school year. It would apply to all students, including those in high school, but only on district-owned devices and student accounts.
Many in the tech world have taken to social media to criticize Mamdani’s AI ban, calling it counterproductive to restrict a technology that could be as transformational as the internet or computers.
Mamdani’s plan does not require city council approval. Chancellor Kamar Samuels has already issued the moratorium as official NYC Public Schools guidance, stating that student-facing generative AI software “is not permitted” in grades K-8 during the 2026-27 school year.
However, some executives have called the moratorium a measured response to a technology with still-unclear ramifications for young, developing minds.
Here’s what smart people are saying about the AI bans for school students.
Sriram Krishnan, a former senior White House policy advisor on AI
Sriram Krishnan, a tech executive and former senior White House policy advisor on AI under the second Trump administration, said AI’s impact on development is unknown and that it makes sense not to “automate cognitive skills” before kids can acquire them.
“Kids need to struggle with all the reading writing math research and reasoning to develop these skills,” Krishnan said on X on Thursday, “AI will just remove the friction.”
“This is the age when foundational skills are formed, adults know this skill so automating with ai can be ok vs a 10 year old who never learns may not,” Krishnan added.
Zach Tratar, engineering leader at Notion AI and angel Investor
Zach Tratar, an engineering lead at Notion AI, wrote on X that AI’s effects on children should remain experimental until we learn more.
“I’m a pro-AI techno-optimist at heart,” Tratar said on Thursday.
“But I also remember when we all thought simply connecting people on the internet would make communities healthier,” Tratar added. “And when we didn’t know if Tiktok would damage our brains.”
Noah Fichter, CEO of Scout
Noah Fichter, the CEO of Scout, an AI startup in the 2025 Y-combinator cohort, wrote on X on Thursday that the tech world’s reaction to the AI ban in schools makes him feel “frustrated.”
“Schools have no literally idea what to do about AI,” Fichter said. “Especially when many of the school-specific chatbots we’re putting in front of kids are actively decreasing scores!”
“Seems pretty obvious to me that Mandani & co spent time in schools, realized the chaos these tools are causing, and decided that we need to take a second to breathe to actually figure it out,” Fichter added.
Sarah Shirazyan, lecturer at Stanford Law School
Sarah Shirazyan, a lecturer in law at Stanford Law School and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that she expects AI in classrooms to be a big topic for public debate and an issue in elections.
“The truth is nobody knows what’s the right approach, everyone is experimenting and the moratorium reads to me as let’s take time to understand the evidence–aka prove AI works for learning,” Shirazyan said.
“Having said that, I tell my own Stanford Law students all the time: ‘Use your brain first,'” Shirazyan added.
Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management
Ross Gerber, CEO of financial advisory firm Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, said in a post on X on Thursday that he did the opposite of banning his own children from using AI.
“All the kids use AI already. What a goof,” Gerber said. “I remember when they told me I couldn’t use the computer- go use the typewriter they said.”
Dylan Itzikowitz, tech investor and partner at South Park Commons
Dylan Itzikowit, a tech investor, posted on X on Thursday that AI could have been the “great equalizer” of education.
“Wealthy kids won’t be affected by this. Private schools will teach them the latest technology,” Itzikowit said. “Another DSA policy that will hurt middle and lower income families the most.”
Brendan Falk, founder and CEO of Hercules
Brendan Falk, founder and CEO of Hercules, an AI app builder, called the AI ban “unfortunate” on Thursday.
“This is like banning computers in the 90s or the internet in the 2000s,” Falk wrote in a post on X.
Gabriel Petersson, cofounder and CEO of Energy
Gabriel Petersson, the CEO of an AI-powered productivity app and a former OpenAI researcher, said that banning AI is to him, similar to “banning all computers then giving someone a corporate job.”
“These kids will be doing their work with assistance of ai if they choose white collar jobs,” Petersson said. “Like there is a clear difference in skill in people who grew up with computer versus those that started in high school.”
Will Hobick, head of design engineering at Rocket
Will Hobick, head of design engineering at Rocket, a mortgage platform, called banning AI in schools “completely backwards.”
“The question isn’t whether middle schoolers are going to grow up using AI. They are,” said Hobick in a post on X. “The question is whether we teach them how to use it well.”
“Blocking the technology is easy,” Hobick added. “Teaching kids how to use it responsibly is the actual work that the administration has decided they can’t do.”
Read the full article here
