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New York City schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels has promised that a city policy on the use of artificial intelligence in schools will be coming shortly.
In the meantime, many educators have already been using a host of AI tools in their classrooms, and many students have come to rely on the technology to help them with their work.
Chalkbeat wants to know how AI is being used in your school and what you want the chancellor to know about it, the good and bad. Parents have raised concerns about safeguards, worried that the technology could lead to upticks in bullying, that it could erode critical thinking skills, and that it could compromise student privacy.
According to a RAND survey released Tuesday on using AI for homework, 67% of participating students (more than 1,200 young people between ages 12-29) said that using AI for schoolwork harmed critical thinking, up from 54% earlier in the year. Roughly 71% reported using at least one AI tool for school-related activities (including writing help, brainstorming, and fact-finding), and most students indicated their schools did not have rules for using AI for homework.
“Some of us as educators recognize that there’s some potential in AI to accelerate some learning,” Samuels said at a recent town hall meeting in Manhattan’s District 2. But he also said that the city’s guidance must be done in a “responsible” manner, with input from communities.
Miatheresa Pate, the city’s chief academic officer, described the forthcoming AI guidance as a “traffic-light approach for clarity around what we allow, what we absolutely will not allow,” as well as opportunities to “engage in case use studies around some of the positive things that are happening to support learners who need it most.”
Once the city releases its guidance, it plans to open a 45-day window for feedback from families, educators, and school leaders.
Help us understand what’s already happening with AI in schools — and what you’d like the city do — by taking our survey.
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