NEW YORK — New York City announced a one-year moratorium on students using artificial intelligence in public elementary and middle schools Wednesday, marking the most restrictive policy of its kind adopted by a major American school district.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, alongside Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, unveiled the policy just days before the city’s roughly 1 million public school students return to classrooms for the 2026-27 school year on Sept. 10. The moratorium will bar the use of generative AI tools among students from the city’s 2-K early childhood program through eighth grade, affecting nearly 600,000 students, or about two-thirds of the district’s total enrollment.

Mamdani said the decision reflected a broader philosophy about how children learn best, emphasizing direct human interaction over reliance on artificial intelligence tools.

“Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow,” Mamdani said at a press conference announcing the policy. “They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own.”

As part of the rollout, the city said it would disable AI components embedded in nearly 40 educational technology programs currently used in New York City classrooms that do not meet the administration’s new safety and oversight standards. High school students will still be permitted to use AI in certain limited circumstances, and the district plans to introduce AI literacy instruction for older students even as younger children remain barred from using the tools directly.

Teachers, meanwhile, will retain the ability to use AI for administrative purposes such as lesson planning and scheduling, according to a statement from the city.

Mamdani said he had not yet seen research demonstrating clear educational benefits from AI use among elementary and middle school students, aside from studies funded by companies with a financial interest in the technology’s adoption.

The policy also introduces new screen-time restrictions that vary by grade level. Students in second grade and below will face a complete ban on one-on-one screen time during the school day. Students in third through fifth grade will be limited to 30 minutes of screen time daily, while those in sixth through eighth grade will be capped at 45 minutes. The restrictions build on an existing citywide ban on cellphones and other personal devices during the school day for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, a policy introduced last fall that remains in effect.

The AI moratorium carves out specific exceptions for assistive technology used by students with disabilities, English-language learners and students enrolled in career-readiness programs such as computer science courses. Companion chatbots, however, will be prohibited across all grade levels without exception, reflecting particular concern among city officials over AI tools designed to simulate ongoing, personalized conversation with young users.

City officials said the moratorium could be extended beyond the coming school year, pending a comprehensive review of AI’s role in education to be conducted by a coalition of educators, parents, technology experts and elected officials. That review is intended to guide any future decisions about expanding or further restricting AI access in city classrooms.

The move by the nation’s largest public school system comes after months of pressure from parents, teachers and elected officials urging the administration to slow the rollout of AI tools in classrooms. School principals were instructed in July to pause any new AI-related software purchases while the city finalized its policy, a notable shift from earlier guidance issued in March that had not included grade-based restrictions on AI use or broader limits on digital device time.

New York City is not the first major school district to grapple with student access to AI tools. The district previously imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT shortly after OpenAI released the chatbot in 2022, before later lifting that restriction and introducing its own custom AI-powered teaching assistant developed with support from Microsoft, a major investor in OpenAI.

Reuters reported that other large school districts, including Los Angeles, are currently reviewing their own AI policies, suggesting Wednesday’s announcement in New York could influence how other major metropolitan school systems approach the technology in the months ahead. Reuters characterized New York’s new policy as the most restrictive AI-related measure adopted by any school district in the country to date.

Representatives for major AI developers Google, Anthropic and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement, according to Reuters.

The debate over AI’s role in K-12 education has intensified nationally as generative AI tools have become increasingly embedded in everyday classroom technology, from writing assistance programs to personalized tutoring software. Proponents of broader AI adoption in schools have argued the technology can help personalize instruction and support struggling students, while critics, including many of the parents and educators who pushed New York City toward Wednesday’s policy, have raised concerns about diminished critical thinking skills, reduced peer interaction and the potential for AI tools to substitute for genuine human mentorship during formative developmental years.

Mamdani framed the moratorium not as a rejection of new technology outright, but as a deliberate pause intended to ensure any future adoption of AI tools in classrooms is grounded in evidence of genuine educational benefit rather than industry-driven momentum.

“This moratorium is a commitment to getting the future right,” Mamdani said. “We will embrace new technology, but only when it serves our students.”

The policy announcement arrives amid a broader national conversation about the appropriate boundaries for children’s engagement with AI systems, spanning not just classroom instructional tools but also companion chatbots and other AI products marketed directly to young users. New York City’s decision to prohibit companion chatbots across all grade levels, regardless of the exceptions carved out for assistive and career-readiness technology, reflects a particular note of caution among city officials toward AI products designed to foster ongoing, humanlike interaction with children.

With the new school year set to begin Sept. 10, city education officials are expected to spend the coming weeks communicating the specifics of the moratorium and revised screen-time rules to schools, teachers and families across the district, as New York City positions itself at the forefront of a rapidly evolving national debate over how, and whether, young students should be permitted to engage with artificial intelligence in the classroom.

Shares of Lumino Industries jumped another 4% on Thursday after making a strong market debut, listing with more than a 34% premium over the IPO price earlier in the morning, with analysts advising fresh investors to wait while IPO allottees should watch out for key levels.

The shares of the integrated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and manufacturing company opened at Rs 110 apiece on NSE, marking over 34% premium over the IPO price of Rs 82 apiece. Following the strong listing, the stock soared another 4% to hit the day’s high at Rs 114.48 apiece, marking a nearly 40% jump from the issue price. This added more than Rs 136 crore to the company’s market capitalisation less than an hour since market debut, taking it up to Rs 3,486 crore.

The company’s maiden public issue comprised a fresh issue worth Rs 500 crore, and an offer for sale (OFS) worth Rs 200 crore by promoters Devendra Goel and Jay Goel, at a price band of Rs 78-82 per share. The strong market debut came after the company’s Rs 700-crore IPO received an overwhelming response from investors, being subscribed more than 124 times between August 27 and August 31.
Qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) showed the most interest, booking their reserved portion around 233 times, while that kept for non-institutional investors (NIIs) was subscribed 185 times. Retail investors subscribed to their reserved portion over 40 times.Ahead of the IPO, Lumino Industries raised nearly Rs 207 crore from anchor investors on August 25, with marquee institutional investors including Citigroup Global Markets Mauritius Private Limited, SBI General Insurance Company Limited, Bajaj Life Insurance Limited, Silver Stride India Global Fund and 3PIM India Equity (IFSC) Fund participating in the anchor book.

Also read | Lumino Industries raises Rs 207 crore from anchor investors

How will Lumino Industries use IPO Proceeds?

Lumino Industries plans to use nearly Rs 337 crore for the prepayment or repayment of certain outstanding borrowings. It also proposed to spend around Rs 15 crore on capital expenditure, including equipment and machinery purchases, civil works, and interior development at an existing manufacturing facility.
The remaining proceeds will be deployed towards general corporate purposes. The company is an integrated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and manufacturing company focused on India’s power transmission and distribution sector. The company manufactures conductors, power cables, electrical wires and high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) conductors, which are used in power transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Should you buy, sell or hold Lumino Industries shares?

Attractive valuations versus EPC and cable peers, strong profitability with an 11.71% EBITDA margin, and the highest RoNW among key peers supported Shivani Nyati’s positive view on the stock. The Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart said the planned debt reduction from IPO proceeds could also help lower finance costs going forward.

At 17.5x FY26 earnings, the stock trades at a significant discount to peers, said Sunny Agrawal, Head of Fundamental Research at SBI Securities. He added that debt repayment through IPO proceeds should further lower interest cost and boost profitability in the ongoing financial year 2027.

However, the high dependence on government and PSU clients, which contribute 53-86% of revenue, remains a key risk due to tender-driven and potentially lumpy cash flows, said Nyati. For IPO allottees, she said that partial profit booking and holding the remaining shares with a trailing stop-loss of Rs 98–100 can be considered.

Fresh investors should avoid chasing the stock after the sharp listing gain and wait for some consolidation. “If the stock sustains above Rs 110–112 with strong volumes, it could move towards Rs 120–125. Medium-term investors can hold with prudent position sizing,” according to the analyst.

Also read | Lumino Industries shares list at 34% premium over IPO price

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)

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MINNEAPOLIS — Three people, including the suspected shooter, were killed and at least six others were injured, among them three police officers, after a shooting Wednesday afternoon at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building, authorities said.

The shooting occurred just after 4:30 p.m. at a high-rise apartment building located at 15 E. Grant Street, near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Officers were dispatched to the scene at 4:36 p.m. and arrived within two minutes of the first 911 call, according to Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer Garrett Parten.

Upon arrival, officers found one person who had been shot. Following the sound of continued gunfire, officers entered the building and made their way to an upper floor, where they encountered conditions that hampered their response.

“They encountered a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” Parten said, describing the environment officers faced as they moved through the building toward the source of the shooting.

Three Minneapolis police officers were injured during the response. Two were shot, with one struck in the stomach and the other in the leg; the officer shot in the stomach was in surgery Wednesday evening. A third officer sustained an injury that was not the result of gunfire. All three officers were listed in stable condition as of Wednesday evening, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Authorities said three people died in total, including two civilians and the suspected shooter. Three additional civilians were also injured in the incident. Investigators said it remained unclear how the suspected shooter died, and police had not released additional details on a possible motive as of Wednesday evening.

Hennepin County Medical Center confirmed it received multiple patients from the shooting, an early figure that was later updated as authorities provided more complete casualty information through the evening.

Video posted to social media Wednesday showed police officers aiming weapons toward the apartment building as the response unfolded, while aerial footage broadcast by local television stations captured a large law enforcement presence, including SWAT vehicles and emergency medical units, surrounding the block near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Police asked members of the public to avoid the area of East Grant Street as the scene remained active.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed the shooting Wednesday, thanking emergency responders and confirming that state officials were assisting local law enforcement with the response.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said in a post on social media.

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth also responded to the shooting, offering condolences for those affected.

“Praying for the victims of this heinous crime,” Demuth said.

The Minneapolis Police Department held an evening news conference to provide updates to the public as the investigation continued, with Parten serving as the department’s primary spokesperson addressing reporters at the scene.

Wednesday’s shooting adds to a difficult recent stretch of gun violence incidents affecting Minneapolis and the broader state of Minnesota. The city has experienced several high-profile shootings in recent years, prompting continued public debate over gun violence prevention, mental health resources and policing strategies in the Twin Cities area.

The downtown Minneapolis shooting also came on the same day that authorities responded to a separate shooting incident elsewhere, according to reporting from international outlets covering Wednesday’s events, though officials have not indicated any connection between the two incidents.

As of Wednesday night, investigators had not publicly identified the suspected shooter, the two civilian victims who died, or the officers who were injured, pending notification of family members. Police also had not released a motive for the shooting, and the investigation into the exact sequence of events inside the apartment building remained ongoing.

The Minneapolis Police Department’s tactical response, which involved officers entering the building directly in pursuit of the sound of gunfire despite the reported haze limiting visibility, reflects standard active-shooter protocols adopted by law enforcement agencies nationwide in the years following mass shooting incidents at schools and other public venues, protocols that generally prioritize rapid entry and engagement over containment in situations involving an active threat to life.

Law enforcement officials in Minneapolis have not indicated whether any additional suspects are being sought in connection with Wednesday’s shooting, nor have they specified whether the incident is being investigated as an isolated act of violence or one connected to a broader dispute among residents of the building. Investigators were expected to continue processing the scene into Thursday as they worked to piece together a full timeline of the shooting.

The Minneapolis Convention Center, located near the site of Wednesday’s shooting, is one of the city’s major event venues and sits within a densely populated downtown corridor that includes numerous residential high-rises, hotels and office buildings. The shooting’s location in a heavily trafficked part of the city center contributed to a significant law enforcement footprint and prompted road closures and warnings for pedestrians and residents to avoid the immediate area during the response.

City officials have not announced any broader security measures or policy responses in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting, though such incidents involving injured law enforcement officers typically prompt renewed internal review of department response protocols and equipment, including tools such as thermal imaging or breathing apparatus that could assist officers operating in reduced-visibility conditions similar to those described by Parten on Wednesday.

This is a developing story. Additional details, including the identities of those killed and further information on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, are expected to be released by Minneapolis police and Hennepin County officials in the coming days as the investigation progresses.