New York City is banning the use of artificial intelligence in public school classrooms through middle school for one year while officials study the impact of the technology.

"The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday. "We do not see it that way."

The new policy bans student-facing AI usage from preschool through eighth grade, covering about 600,000 students in the nation's largest public school system. Chatbots will be prohibited across all grades. New York City schools will also introduce new screen-time limits.

City officials will study the impact of using AI in the classroom and will release a study with recommendations for coming school years.

New York's ban on AI follows demand for more tech guardrails in schools from parents looking to cut screen time at home.

The city is also developing AI literacy classes for high-school students to teach them how the technology works and educate them on its risks, ethical considerations and how it could have an impact on careers.

Teachers will be allowed to use AI for instructional planning and other tasks. Exceptions to the moratorium could be made for assistive technology usage for students with disabilities and for career-readiness programs like computer science.

"We're standing firmly in our belief that innovation does not mean more technology," said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. "Over the next year, we will lead with evidence to make sure technology serves learning-not the other way around."