Google will turn off its AI tools by default for students in schools that use its education software, but schools that leave them off will also lose access to Google Search unless they turn it back on.
The company announced the change on Tuesday.
Until now, the tech giant’s Gemini AI products were switched on automatically for schools using Google Classroom.
Writing on the company’s official blog, The Keyword, Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president and general manager of education, said Gemini, Gemini Notebook (officially branded as NotebookLM), Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search “will be entirely 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 explained.
The announcement drew criticism right away. Some education and tech advocates said it punished schools that don’t want Google’s AI.
In a formal statement responding to the changes, Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin accused Google of strong-arming schools. “Google’s attempt to strong-arm schools into using its AI products is likely to backfire,” Golin said.
As criticism mounted, later in the day, Google moved to clarify that administrators could turn Search back on independently without enabling other standalone tools like the company’s Gemini products.
Search will still include AI features like AI Overviews, though Google noted that the features in question have been modified to guide students through problems step by step “so that students don’t get quick answers to schoolwork.”
Google maintains that these changes are meant to “give schools more choice, not less.”
Advocacy groups remained unconvinced. “Because AI isn’t safe for kids and undermines education and critical thinking, schools should turn off Google’s AI tools the minute that option becomes available,” Golin pointed out.
The move adds to the growing pushback the tech giant has faced from senators and advocacy groups over its AI tools in classrooms. In early October, 13 parent advocacy organizations, including the Digital Childhood Institute and Schools Beyond Screens, sent an open letter asking school districts to turn off Gemini and YouTube.
The mounting concern likely stems from Google’s big presence in schools. Most Chromebooks are bought by school districts for students, and a 2023 report from Schoolytics found that nearly two-thirds of assignments use a Google product.
Research also hasn’t really indicated whether AI helps students learn over the long term. According to researchers at Stanford University’s education-focused SCALE Initiative, there are still no high-quality studies showing a causal link.
Sources: The Keyword, Fairplay, Morningstar, Stanford University, NBC News