Google Will Cut Student Search Access at Schools That Keep AI Off

Google said Tuesday that it will switch off its AI tools by default for K-12 student accounts in schools that use its education software. Google Search will be switched off as well, so schools that decline to turn on AI could leave students without the company's search engine, according to NBC News, CBS News and ABC News.

The change reverses an August move that activated the Gemini chatbot for many students. It has drawn sharp criticism from a teachers' union, child advocates and a former federal regulator, who say Google is using its dominance to push AI into classrooms. Google says it is giving schools more control.

What Google changed

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 will be off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on. Until Tuesday, Gemini was automatically active for schools using Google Classroom. Before August, Google had allowed Gemini only for students 18 or older.

CBS News reported that Phillips told The New York Times that schools banning AI will not have access to search and that students will see a message from their school saying it is unavailable. Google also said, in a post on X, that schools can turn on one, two or all three services: Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search.

Google said it surveyed school administrators and teachers before making the change, according to CBS News.

What critics say

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Google had put its business interests ahead of children's education. She said the company, rather than working with teachers and parents on privacy and safety, was banning access to the tools altogether.

Josh Golin, executive director of the children's advocacy group Fairplay, said Google is trying to pressure schools into using its AI products and that the effort is likely to backfire. He argued the company's classroom technology is aimed at building lifelong brand loyalty. He urged schools to turn off Google's AI tools as soon as they can and to help students find more privacy-protective search alternatives.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google of “trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools,” CBS News reported. A Google spokesperson declined to respond to his remarks.

Lina Khan, who chaired the Federal Trade Commission from 2021 to 2025, wrote on social media that Google is exploiting its search dominance and will punish schools that do not go along. She cited court findings that Google violated antitrust laws.

What Google says

Phillips wrote that schools should control AI in their classrooms and have tools to manage their approach. In a statement posted to social media after NBC News published its article, Google said the announcements give schools “more choice, not less.” The company said schools can turn on Search without enabling Gemini products.

Accounts of the policy therefore differ somewhat. Early reports and Phillips' comments to The New York Times described Search as unavailable at schools that reject AI. Google's later statement said Search can be enabled on its own. NBC News noted that Search itself still includes AI features. Google said it has updated AI Mode and AI Overviews to give step-by-step guidance rather than quick answers to schoolwork.

For schools that do enable the AI tools, Google said it will detect when a student is trying to use them only to get an answer to an assignment. A redesigned Search would then walk the student through the concepts instead.

Why it matters for schools and families

Google is by far the dominant provider of education technology for U.S. schools, according to ABC News. The company says 150 million students and teachers use Google Classroom worldwide, and many students use school-provided Chromebooks. NBC News cited a 2023 Schoolytics report finding that nearly two-thirds of assignments use a Google product.

Administrators now have to decide which services to enable, and students at schools that leave everything off may find Search unavailable, depending on how Google applies the policy. Some districts have already moved to restrict AI. CBS News reported that New York City schools said in September that AI would be banned and that generative AI would be delayed for one year for children in 2-K through eighth grade. ABC News reported that New York City and Los Angeles have issued temporary bans on generative AI tools in elementary and middle schools while they develop policies.

The evidence on classroom AI is limited. NBC News reported that the SCALE Initiative at the Stanford Graduate School of Education has found no high-quality causal studies of student AI use. In early October, 13 parent advocacy organizations sent an open letter urging districts to turn off Gemini and YouTube.

Around Prague, based on reporting by NBC News, CBS News, ABC News