How opposing camps of parents pushed Mamdani to weigh in on AI in school
Ilana Glazer speaking into a megaphone at an anti-AI rally in New York City in June. Courtesy/Greg Pak Mamdani paused most AI use in schools this week for at least a year. The decision came after parents on both sides of the issue lobbied his government for months. One side argued that AI is bad for a child's development. The other: It's necessary for a career. Craig Garrett had no idea his 5-year-old daughter was talking to what he described as an AI chatbot at school every day. That was until the Brooklyn-based book editor attended a meeting held by his school district, where he said educators revealed the extent of AI use in his daughter's classroom. "I was kind of horrified and shocked and disappointed," Garrett told Business Insider. "The whole notion of a 5-year-old plugged into a tablet with their headphones on and a microphone, and speaking to this animated character that's talking to them like it's their friend is just deeply wrong." That meeting, which took place in May last year, "radicalized" many of the parents in the room, Garrett said. It led him to join the AIM coalition, a group of New York City parents opposed to AI in the classroom. AIM stands for AI Moratorium.
How opposing camps of parents pushed Mamdani to weigh in on AI in school
Ilana Glazer speaking into a megaphone at an anti-AI rally in New York City in June. Courtesy/Greg Pak Mamdani paused most AI use in schools this week for at least a year. The decision came after parents on both sides of the issue lobbied his government for months. One side argued that AI is bad for a child's development. The other: It's necessary for a career. Craig Garrett had no idea his 5-year-old daughter was talking to what he described as an AI chatbot at school every day. That was until the Brooklyn-based book editor attended a meeting held by his school district, where he said educators revealed the extent of AI use in his daughter's classroom. "I was kind of horrified and shocked and disappointed," Garrett told Business Insider. "The whole notion of a 5-year-old plugged into a tablet with their headphones on and a microphone, and speaking to this animated character that's talking to them like it's their friend is just deeply wrong." That meeting, which took place in May last year, "radicalized" many of the parents in the room, Garrett said. It led him to join the AIM coalition, a group of New York City parents opposed to AI in the classroom. AIM stands for AI Moratorium.
