Google to cut off search for students at schools that reject AI tools
Schools that decline Google's classroom AI tools will lose Google search for their students as well, the company said, making access to the world's dominant search engine conditional on accepting its Gemini chatbot in K-12 classrooms.
Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, said in a blog post that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google search would be switched off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on. "We believe schools should have control over AI in their classrooms and in providing administrators with controls to help them manage their approach," Phillips wrote. The change follows an outcry in August, when Google turned on Gemini for many K-12 students who use Google Classroom; until then the chatbot had been available only to students 18 or older.
The reversal drew swift criticism. Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, wrote on social media that Google is "using its search monopoly to coerce schools into adopting AI" and warned of "the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service." Josh Golin, executive director of the children's advocacy group Fairplay, said Google's attempt to "strong-arm schools into using its AI products is likely to backfire," arguing the technology in schools is about "developing lifetime brand loyalty" rather than learning. He urged schools to switch off Google's AI tools as soon as the option appears and to look for more privacy-protective search alternatives.
Google is by far the dominant provider of education technology for US schools, and says 150 million students and teachers worldwide use Google Classroom, with many students on school-provided Chromebook computers. New York City and Los Angeles, home to the largest US school districts, have issued temporary bans on generative AI tools in elementary and middle schools while they assess safety and draw up policies. Educators and child development experts have warned that the technology makes cheating easier and have raised questions about how AI access affects children's brain development.
