NYC NOW NYC's Blizzard and the AI Debate in Schools
Feb 23, 2026
Brittany Krigstein, WNYC reporter on-the-ground covering NYC’s blizzard impacts on transit, sidewalks, and emergency responses. Jessica Gould, WNYC education reporter tracking how AI like ChatGPT is reshaping classrooms. They describe storm scenes and city response. They also cover students’ everyday AI use, changing classroom practices, detection challenges, teacher training, and DOE guidance coming soon.
AI Snips
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High School Students Describe How They Actually Use ChatGPT
- Students at Midwood's Murrow High describe using ChatGPT mostly for studying rather than cheating on essays.
- Alicia Mazuski and Ruthie Silver say they use AI to find sources and generate study guides, while some classmates reportedly passed a class using AI alone.
AI Has Reshaped Classroom Time And Assessment
- AI has shifted classroom practice toward more in-class work and proctored assignments to curb plagiarism.
- Teachers report less time to cover material because essays and exams are moved into supervised class periods.
False Positives From AI Detection Create Extra Work
- Students report a trust loop where teachers use AI to detect AI and that can falsely flag honest work.
- One student had to redo an essay after a teacher's AI check wrongly labeled it plagiarized, despite timestamps proving authorship.