Hundreds of Artists Ask NYC Mayor to Ban AI in Schools
Nearly 500 New York City artists, writers, and actors signed a letter published by the AI Moratorium Coalition calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to impose a two-year moratorium on artificial intelligence education technology in public schools. The letter, released ahead of a City Council oversight hearing scheduled for Wednesday on AI and data privacy in schools, argues that AI tools threaten creativity and raise privacy and equity concerns; signatories include Nan Goldin, Molly Crabapple, and Laurie Simmons. The campaign began in August 2025 through education advocacy groups, and earlier this month a majority of City Council members urged Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels to halt the NYCDOE from expanding AI use, citing “dozens of new AI products” added recently to the system’s centralized learning portal. New York City Public Schools said it has instituted initial AI “guardrails” while developing a broader policy, and PACES founder Kelly Clancy said the letter was timed to the last week of school to prompt action during the current academic year.
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This story was covered in Restitution Reckonings and Censorship Flashpoints