Big City Bans - Why Now and What's Next? | Ep. 127

New York City and LA just barred students from AI, and more districts are lining up. What schools, parents and companies do now, and whose research holds up.

This week…

Matt and Liz shout out Bennett, executive producer Cameron Audia's five-year-old son, who stayed quiet during taping and humorously likened the studio to a church.

The Rundown

Voice in Google Apps

• Use your voice to get more done in Gmail, Docs, and Keep: https://tinyurl.com/3t4amre3

Why the Big City Bans Now?

• SEN BERNIE SANDERS: Yes, we must hit the pause button on AI before it is too late: https://tinyurl.com/mvcurab7

• Americans Are United Against the Tech Takeover of Public Schools: https://tinyurl.com/yeher8m9

• Student Defense Report Highlights Lack of Policies Governing AI Use By College Admissions Offices: https://tinyurl.com/4789p5rp

• Schools Caught Flat-Footed After Google Makes Gemini Chatbot Available to All Students: https://tinyurl.com/mr2p3mfs

What Actually Happened?

• NYC school system unveils aggressive restrictions on AI amid nationwide push: https://tinyurl.com/sk62huw5

• LAUSD students barred from AI use, in a surprise to school board and parents: https://tinyurl.com/5cs8448d

• Chicago school board candidates sign pledge to ban AI use in schools: https://tinyurl.com/5a2y9jdf

Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz categorize upcoming work by responsibility, addressing AI safety standards for students, realistic efficacy claims by educators, and proactive family engagement in schools.

• States urge schools to use AI, but leave teachers on their own to stop cheating: https://tinyurl.com/kxbkrnr9

• ChatEDU - Episode 103 (Casey Cuny): https://tinyurl.com/43tjwda3

• Spotlight: Gemini For Education And Gemini Notebook Support Teaching, Learning, And Administration In Higher Education: https://tinyurl.com/3fy7w5ay

• Desire2Learn study: Professors Say They Like Ai Best When It Is Embedded In The Learning Management System: https://tinyurl.com/3e8zzr8h

• ChatEDU: AI Studies Analysis: https://tinyurl.com/3m8ehdj3

• AI in Education Knowledge Base (aied.org): https://tinyurl.com/yv53d6zr

• Study: Chatbots are getting better at identifying suicide risk: https://tinyurl.com/4e7tfv53

• OpenAI says ChatGPT is safer for teens. Now it needs to show proof: https://tinyurl.com/bdhmkw58

• Stop Asking AI to Brainstorm for you…and other AI in Education Tips and Tricks: https://tinyurl.com/3e9fj4aw

• Even With Human Help, Kids Need Motivation to Use AI Tutors. The Question Is What: https://tinyurl.com/4jm39htm

• Student Voices in AI: https://tinyurl.com/27embht9

• The Same Page, In Practice: https://tinyurl.com/3jcf7sk5

• Dear Colleague Letter on screen time and technology, US Department of Education: https://tinyurl.com/yt7kwfv6

• CoSN 2025 Blaschke Report and Communications Toolkit: https://tinyurl.com/ydt86afx

• ChatEDU - Episode 124 (Charlie Huges): https://tinyurl.com/yjf2jwec

• ChatEDU - Episode 122 (Avyaay Rathi): https://tinyurl.com/mrx2rp66

Bright Byte

Google DeepMind and Google Research launched WeatherNext 3, a satellite-based model delivering 5x higher resolution hourly forecasts on Search, Gemini, and Google Maps.

• Introducing WeatherNext 3: https://tinyurl.com/y5rdpvwd

Announcements

• Fall AI Conference: October 2, 2026: https://tinyurl.com/4k6x9scx

• Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

• Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course: www.skills21.org/ai/learnai

• Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum: https://www.skills21.org/social

• Address Screen Time concerns: skills21.org/ai/screenshift

• Read From Panic to Proof: A Data-Driven Approach to Screen Time (ASCD Educational Leadership): https://tinyurl.com/4pwdu68

Sponsor

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing -https://www.nextgenmfg.org