Vancouver School Board (VSB) are planning to collaborate with Microsoft to introduce Generative AI into classrooms (CTV News, This is Vancouver).

As parents and guardians of children at VSB schools, we do not consent to our children being exposed to generative AI in schools.

"The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits" is how NPR summarized a recent report on AI usage in schools. We agree, and do not want our children to be the beta-testers of this technology.

As citizens of Vancouver, we are concerned that the long-term impacts of Generative AI on learning and mental health have not been adequately considered by Vancouver School Board.

We agree that children need to understand how new technologies work, but that the use and risks of generative AI can be covered in a few classes, similar to learning how to be safe online.

Our Requests to VSB

1. We ask that VSB clarify its plans regarding the use of Generative AI tools in classrooms.
2. We ask that VSB require schools to ask parents/guardians for consent before children use Generative AI in the classroom, and allow parents to opt-out.
3. We ask that if VSB recommends a class on AI Literacy, that it is not run by a for-profit AI company like Microsoft, SchoolAI, that has a vested interest in AI.

Negative Impacts of Generative AI

Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) has only been in major use for a few years, but scientific research on its impacts on learning and mental health is being released.

On Learning

Scientific studies have been made on the effect of GenAI on learning. So far the results are mostly negative:

• Its use is associated with worse learning outcomes (Kosmyna 2025)
• Students that used AI perform worse than those that never used it (Bastani 2024)
• Users of generative AI over-estimate how well they know a subject (Fernandes 2025)

We believe that the push to introduce generative AI in classrooms is being driven by advertising hype from companies like Microsoft, and that the very real negative impacts of the technology are not being considered.

On Mental Health

Just like the negative mental health effects of social media was underestimated at first, the negative effects of Generative AI chat-bots is just beginning to be understood.

Generative AI chat-bots (ChatGPT, Copilot) have had many negative health outcomes:

• Common Sense Media recommend that children and teens not be allowed to use AI chat-bots at all.
• They have told children how to commit suicide.
• They have also talked about sexual topics with children.
• Use of AI chat-bots has triggered psychosis in adults and is part of a mental health epidemic.

We do not consent to our children using tools that are associated with so many negative mental health impacts.

More information on the negative impacts of generative AI can be found on https://aicaution.ca/

How You Can Help

Talk to parents you know, ask them if they know that VSB is planning on putting AI tools in the classroom, and whether they think that will help students learn to write and think for themselves.

We have a poster that you can print and put up in schools or wherever you have permission.

Please share this petition with other parents and guardians of VSB children.

If you are interested in helping out, please take a look at our About page.

If you live in other school districts and are interested in starting similar campaigns, please contact us at contact@aicaution.ca

Updates

• January 27, 2026: We hit 250 signatures! Thank you everybody who signed and shared with others.
• January 26, 2026: We have changed our website from noai.school, and are now affiliated with PACES New York. PACES (Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces) is a group started by parents in NYC that worked to get resolutions on a 2-year moratorium on AI passed in two districts. We are now PACES Vancouver.
• January 19, 2026: We started a poster campaign in Vancouver, linking to this petition.