Video summary
New York City's Department of Education has introduced a significant new policy for the 2026-2027 school year that severely restricts the use of artificial intelligence in schools rather than issuing a complete ban. Under these new guidelines, teachers are prohibited from using AI tools to grade student work, and students are not permitted to use such technology until they reach high school. Chatbots designed primarily for companionship will be banned across all grade levels, while high school students face additional requirements including mandatory AI literacy courses and restrictions limiting their use of the tech to specific circumstances. However, educators retain the ability to utilize AI for lesson planning, with possible exceptions granted for tools specifically designed to assist students requiring extra help or for dedicated computer science study units.
On the international regulatory front, the US government recently suggested that G20 members adopt a hands-off approach to future AI regulations, advocating instead for countries to sign onto the Carolina principles which focus on creating rules only for novel AI situations. While Reuters reports that the Chinese government signed onto this initiative, no copy of the document was provided and the Chinese Embassy has not yet responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, in Europe, the European Commission upheld a 2024 ruling determining that Microsoft's Edge browser is not an important gateway for businesses to reach users, despite meeting certain criteria under the Digital Markets Act. This decision came after Web browser developer Opera challenged the ruling, arguing that users must use Edge to download other browsers, but the judges ruled in favor of the Commission's decision not to designate Microsoft as a gatekeeper regarding Edge.
In the consumer technology sector, Google announced several new features for Android 16 and newer devices, including an enhanced version of Gemini capable of tracking misplaced items without a physical tracker tag by logging locations or photos, alongside guided vision capabilities that use the phone's camera to locate objects and measure distance. Google is also rolling out Google Pix over the coming weeks for Pro and Ultra subscribers, allowing users to create images through text prompts and isolate elements directly within Google Docs and Slides without needing external programs. Additionally, Adobe expanded its ecosystem by enabling Slack Business Plus and Enterprise Plus Teams customers to access various Adobe apps like Firefly and Photoshop directly from Slack's AI chatbot, streamlining workflows for users who can simply instruct the bot on what task they need completed.
Legal and hardware developments continue to shape the tech landscape, as Uber drivers in Europe and the United Kingdom filed a class action lawsuit against the company in Amsterdam's District Court. The suit alleges that Uber's black box algorithm breaches data protection laws by determining pay rates based on what drivers will accept for rides and unlawfully uses driver data for AI model training. Representing approximately 241,000 drivers, the Worker Info Exchange is seeking damages and an injunction to halt actions they claim violate GDPR regulations. In a separate innovation, Dyson announced the Cameran Jet, a $499 toothbrush that utilizes a water jet and a macro lens scanning at 28 images per second to identify problem spots between teeth, with machine learning algorithms trained on hundreds of thousands of dental images to optimize rinsing coverage.
Read the full video transcript
These are the daily tech [music]
headlines for Wednesday, September 2nd,
2026.
I'm Jen Cutter.
New York City's Department of Education
is introducing a new AI policy for
schools, not completely banning it, but
severely restricting acceptable use
cases. For the 2026-2027
school year, teachers will not be
permitted to use AI tools for grading
and must prevent students from using the
tech until they reach high school.
Chatbots primarily used for
companionship are reportedly going to be
banned for all grades. AI limits for
high school students include only using
the tech in specific circumstances and
must take an AI literacy course.
Educators will still be allowed to use
AI in lesson planning and possible
exceptions can be granted for AI tools
specifically designed for students
requiring extra help and for computer
science study units.
On Tuesday, the US government suggested
G20 members take a hands-off approach to
any future AI regulations, advocating
countries sign on to using the Carolina
principles, which focus only on writing
rules for novel AI situations. Reuters
reports the Chinese government signed
on, but no copy of the document was
provided and the Chinese Embassy has not
yet responded to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, the European Commission
upheld a 2024 ruling that Microsoft's
Edge browser was not an important
gateway for businesses to reach users,
despite meeting the Digital Markets Act
criteria to be designated a gatekeeper.
Web browser developer Opera had
challenged the 2024 ruling, claiming the
criteria was misapplied as users must
use Edge in order to download any other
browser. The judges replied, "The
General Court upholds the Commission's
decision not to designate Microsoft as a
gatekeeper in relation to Edge.
In September's Android drop, Google
announced new features for users with
Android 16 and newer. Gemini can now
track misplaced items without a tracker
tag if users tell Gemini to log a
location of the item, and they also have
the option to include a photo. Location
information will be stored in the find
hub. Gemini Live also added guided
vision using the phone's camera to
locate items in frame, even sharing how
far a user's hand is from an object.
Other features include a wider rollout
of the ability to reduce motion sickness
when using a phone in a moving vehicle,
and increased customization in Google
Messages.
Google is also launching Google Pix over
the next few weeks for Google AI Pro and
Ultra subscribers, as well as most
Workspace business customers. Images can
be created through text prompts, and
elements can also be isolated and
tweaked individually. Google Pix is
similar to existing offerings by Canva
and Adobe Firefly, but built in to
Google Docs and Slides, avoiding the
need for outside programs. Google Drive
integration is expected in the next few
weeks.
Adobe announced Slack Business Plus and
Enterprise Plus Teams customers can now
access Firefly, Adobe Express,
Photoshop, Premiere, Acrobat, and other
Adobe apps from directly within Slack's
AI chatbot. Users can tell Slackbot what
they want to do, and it will use the
correct Adobe tool to work on the task.
Adobe previously launched a similar
integration for ChatGPT, and Gemini
availability is expected soon.
Uber drivers in Europe and the United
Kingdom filed a class action lawsuit
against Uber for the company's black box
algorithm in Amsterdam's District Court,
alleging the algorithm's pay
determination system breaches data
protection laws and lowers potential
earnings. Uber drivers told The Guardian
the personalized rate offers different
fares to different drivers for the same
ride at the lowest rate it thinks a
driver will accept. The suit also claims
Uber unlawfully used driver data for AI
model training and seeks damages as well
as an injunction to halt actions it
claims violate the GDPR. The suit was
brought by Worker Info Exchange which
represents approximately 241,000
drivers.
Mozilla launched a built-in ad blocker
for Firefox on iOS using Apple's WebKit
content blocker with the Easy List
filter. This matches previous launches
of ad blocking within the desktop
program and Android app. The new feature
is off by default and included in
Firefox 155. Ads directly served by a
website will not be blocked, nor will
ads in search results, and this does not
remove any Firefox sponsor links on the
new tab page.
And on Tuesday, Dyson announced the
Cameran Jet, a $499
toothbrush. The toothbrush uses a water
jet to get between teeth with a short
burst of water thanks to a 100,000 pixel
macro lens scanning at 28 images per
second. Dyson's machine learning
algorithm was trained on 470,000
dental images to best rinse problem
spots. The Cameran Jet can work with the
My Dyson app for live viewing and
coverage maps. And once again, the
toothbrush is $499.
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