New Jersey's Assembly Bill A4352 would require every school district to teach artificial intelligence literacy, but defines literacy as the ability to operate AI systems, excluding the ability to reason independently while using them. AI systems are responsive, and present themselves as conversational partners rather than fixed sources. Research documents that this design weakens critical thinking, and that anthropomorphic design has produced harm to minors both mentally and physically. American teenagers are using AI chatbots for tasks such as schoolwork and information-seeking. This brief argues that A4352 should be amended to require cognitive autonomy as a fourth skill alongside the bill’s existing requirements.

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October 30, 2026