S 7892: Directs the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents regarding the incorporation of instruction in artificial intelligence system literacy into the school curriculum at the elementary, junior high and senior high levels; directs the board of regents to adopt guidelines if the curriculum is adopted.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7892 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE May 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GONZALEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to directing the commis- sioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents regarding the incorporation of instruction in artificial intelligence system literacy into the school curriculum The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The Legislature finds and declares all 2 of the following: 3 (1) The State does not have an official artificial intelligence liter- 4 acy curriculum framework to ensure the teaching of AI literacy content 5 to every pupil. 6 (2) The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence systems in daily 7 life necessitates comprehensive AI literacy education for all elementary 8 and secondary pupils. 9 (3) A foundational understanding of AI systems is becoming essential 10 for informed participation in modern society and the future workforce. 11 (4) Students require the skills to critically evaluate AI-generated 12 content and understand the implications of AI systems in their lives. 13 (5) The State has a strong interest in ensuring that its pupils are 14 equipped to understand the capabilities, limitations, and ethical 15 considerations of AI technologies. 16 § 2. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new 17 subdivision 33 to read as follows: 18 33. a. The commissioner shall make recommendations to the board of 19 regents relating to the incorporation of artificial intelligence system 20 literacy content into the curriculum at each grade level in junior and 21 senior high schools. Such content shall include: 22 (i) basic concepts and functioning of AI systems; 23 (ii) critical evaluation of AI-generated content and AI system output; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10516-01-5 
 S. 7892 2 1 (iii) practical applications and limitations of AI; 2 (iv) ethical considerations and societal impact; and 3 (v) safe and responsible interaction with AI systems. 4 b. Prior to making the recommendations to the board of regents, the 5 commissioner shall: 6 (i) seek recommendations from the director of the state office of 7 information technology services; 8 (ii) seek the recommendations of teachers, school administrators, 9 teacher educators and others with educational expertise in the proposed 10 curriculum; 11 (iii) seek comment from parents, students and other interested 12 parties; 13 (iv) consider the amount of instructional time such curriculum will 14 require and whether such time would detract from other mandated courses 15 of study; 16 (v) consider the fiscal impact, if any, on the state and school 17 districts; and 18 (vi) consider any additional factors the commissioner deems relevant. 19 c. No later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of 20 this subdivision, the commissioner shall provide a recommendation to the 21 board of regents to either adopt and promulgate appropriate rules and 22 regulations implementing such curriculum or reject the implementation of 23 such curriculum. Upon receiving a recommendation from the commissioner 24 pursuant to this subdivision, the board of regents shall vote to either 25 accept or reject the commissioner's recommendation no later than sixty 26 days after receiving such recommendation. 27 d. If the board of regents adopts such curriculum, the curriculum 28 requirement shall take effect no later than the next school year after 29 such curriculum has been adopted. The board of regents shall develop 30 guidelines for: 31 (i) age-appropriate AI literacy content for each grade level; 32 (ii) integration of AI literacy into existing subject areas; 33 (iii) professional development resources for teachers; and 34 (iv) assessment of student AI literacy competencies. 35 e. If the board of regents rejects such curriculum, the commissioner 36 shall provide a report as to the determination of the board to the 37 governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the 38 assembly and the chairs of the senate and assembly committees on educa- 39 tion providing the reasons for such rejection not later than thirty days 40 after the board of regents rejects such curriculum. 41 f. For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions apply: 42 (i) "Artificial intelligence system" or "AI system" means an engi- 43 neered or machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objec- 44 tives, infers from the input it receives how to generate outputs that 45 can influence physical or virtual environments. 46 (ii) "AI literacy" means the ability to understand, critically evalu- 47 ate, and interact with artificial intelligence systems, including know- 48 ledge of their basic functioning, capabilities, limitations, and socie- 49 tal implications, and the skills to use them. 50 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.