Google says schools can't block its AI without losing Google Search
Google announced that schools can restrict its AI tools, but doing so will also cut students off from Google Search. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former FTC chair Lina Khan criticised the move.
Google said on Tuesday, 3 November, that it is launching new artificial intelligence (AI) products for schools and giving teachers and administrators more ways to limit them. There is a catch: if a school or teacher blocks Google's AI features, students also lose access to Google Search. The change matters because search is among the most widely used tools in students' daily work, and the decision has drawn criticism in the United States.
What Google announced
In a blog post, company executives wrote that, after consulting schools, teachers, researchers and policymakers, they were updating the controls for Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search. Access to these products will be off for K-12 student accounts (kindergarten through 12th grade) until school administrators explicitly turn them on.
Chris Phillips, Google's vice-president for education, told The New York Times that search and AI are deeply integrated, so there is no Google Search without AI. If a school banned AI, students would not have access to search and would see a message from the school saying it is unavailable. The Guardian also contacted Google but had not received a reply by publication.
Google also unveiled Guided Learning, an AI study tool that coaches students through solving a problem instead of simply giving the answer. The company plans to build it directly into Search. For example, if a student pastes in a complex physics problem or asks for help with a book report, they will see prompts that encourage critical thinking.
Criticism
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who recently imposed a one-year moratorium on generative AI tools in city schools through the eighth grade, accused Google on X of using its monopoly power to force AI into public schools. Lina Khan, former chair of the US Federal Trade Commission, made a similar argument.
Lila Byock, founder of Schools Beyond Screens, a national coalition of parents and teachers advocating for reduced screen use in schools, called the announcement a "hostile ultimatum" and urged regulators to intervene.
Google products including Gmail, Docs, Classroom and Chromebooks have long been widely used in US schools.
