Schools that opt out of Google's artificial intelligence tools will also lose Google search for their students, the company has announced.
The Mountain View, California, company set out the change on Tuesday, after months of pushback from educators, child development experts and parents over its technology in schools.
That backlash intensified after Google announced in August that it had turned off its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students who use Google Classroom.
Under Tuesday's change, the chatbot will no longer be on by default for school administrators.
Access to Google's AI features – Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom – as well as Google search will be automatically turned off for K-12 student accounts until “school administrators explicitly turn them on,” Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, said in a blog post.
“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. Google is by far the dominant provider of education technology for U.S. schools. The company says 150 million students and teachers use its Google Classroom platform worldwide.
Many students also use school-provided Chromebook computers. The company faced an outcry in August when it switched on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students. Before August, Google had allowed Gemini only for students 18 or older.
Tuesday's announcement drew swift criticism from educators and policymakers.
“Google is using its search monopoly to coerce schools into adopting AI. This highlights the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service,” wrote Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, on social media. “As the public increasingly pushes back against the use of AI in schools, Google is making clear it will punish those who don’t fall in line.”
Journalists left messages seeking additional comment from Google on Tuesday. New York City and Los Angeles, home to the nation's biggest school districts, have issued temporary bans on generative AI tools in elementary and middle schools.
The districts are assessing AI use and safety and developing policies on its use. Many students already use AI to help with school and homework. But the technology has also made it easier to cheat and find quick answers instead of thinking critically.
Experts have raised questions about how access to AI is affecting children's brain development. Josh Golin, executive director of children's advocacy group Fairplay, said Google's attempt to “strong-arm schools into using its AI products is likely to backfire.” He said Google's technology in schools is not about learning but about “developing lifetime brand loyalty” for its products.
“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 said in a statement.
Rather than fret about losing access to search, Golin urged schools to turn off not just AI but also Google, and "use this opportunity to help students find more privacy-protective alternatives for search, as well as ways to do more substantive research beyond search and click.”
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