Google has said it will switch off its artificial intelligence tools for schoolchildren by default. The move follows criticism of the company for pushing AI features to students while schools are still debating how the technology should be used in classrooms.
Google’s education apps, including Gmail, Docs and Classroom, are widely used in American schools, and its low-cost Chromebook laptops are the devices US schools most often issue to students. That dominance is part of why the new controls have drawn attention.
Changes to Gemini and Search for student accounts
In a blog post published on Tuesday, Google said Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search will be turned off for K-12 student accounts. School administrators will have to switch them on.
The company said the controls would roll out worldwide, starting in the United States, but did not give a start date. The changes also mean schools will not be able to offer students Google Search without its AI features.
Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told a major US newspaper that “Search and A.I. are deeply integrated”, as AI features are now built into the company’s search engine. He said that if a school bans AI, students “will not have access to search” and will see a message from their school saying it is unavailable.
Officials in New York and Los Angeles respond
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google on X of “trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools”. He wrote that “no corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children.”
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley had sent the company a letter last month asking why AI features had been made the default on school devices. That letter noted that more than 150 million students worldwide use Google Classroom.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District said it was reviewing the announcement and its possible implications for schools, educators and students. The spokesperson said the district believes AI can improve teaching and learning if it is introduced carefully, with clear safeguards.
New York City Public Schools said it was seeking more details from Google about the policy change. The district’s spokesperson said the Gemini chatbot and AI mode were already disabled on Chromebooks used by students in the city, and that it had asked Google to disable the AI Overview shown in search results for students.
Google says schools want more control
In a statement on X, Google said Tuesday’s changes give “schools more choice, not less.” The company said it knows there is concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork.
“Schools have told us they want control,” Google said. Earlier, in August, the company had opened its Gemini chatbot in Classroom to students of all ages, with starter prompts tied to their classes and assignments. That feature was switched on by default for students at schools that had already enabled Gemini.
