Education advocacy group petitions Mamdani to suspend use of AI tutoring

Citywide — Education advocacy groups posted petitions To Mayor Zoran Mamdani, 2 year grace period About the use of artificial intelligence in the city's public schools. New Yorkers Calling for an AI Moratorium and Class Size Issues, along with the Alliance for Quality Education, NYC Kids PAC, and others, say the use of AI in city schools is expanding “despite a lack of strict protections and mounting evidence that AI can harm student privacy, cognitive skills, creativity, critical thinking, and the environment.”

These programs can put students at risk of surveillance through the collection of personal information and biometric data, including voice recordings, the groups said.

In December, then-Comptroller Brad Lander asked the New York City Department of Education to withdraw from consideration a $1.9 million contract for an AI-powered reading agent by EPS Learning (also known as Amira Learning). According to Chalkbeat, 46,000 children living in cities used amira In the last two years. The company says it's seeing “incredible results” in school districts across the country. But the city has not provided data on the system's success or failure.

Amira Learning says: Amyra listens.Use neuroscience and AI to assess and teach in real-time to help every student become a proficient reader. ”

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