Google ties school Search access to AI approval

Google says schools cannot disable its AI features while keeping Google Search available to students, underscoring how closely the technologies are integrated. Under updated controls, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be switched off for K-12 student accounts unless school administrators explicitly enable them. Google education vice-president Chris Phillips said a school-wide AI ban would leave students unable to access Search.

The policy accompanied new classroom tools, including Guided Learning, which Google plans to integrate directly into Search. The company says the feature coaches students through problems using prompts that encourage critical thinking, rather than supplying answers immediately. Google framed the updated controls as a response to feedback from schools, teachers, researchers and policymakers.

Critics accused Google of using its dominance in search to pressure schools into adopting AI. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who imposed a one-year moratorium on generative AI tools through the eighth grade, said the company was exploiting its monopoly power. Former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan echoed that criticism. Schools Beyond Screens founder Lila Byock called the policy a “hostile ultimatum” and urged regulators to intervene. Google’s widely used classroom software and hardware could make losing Search access particularly consequential for schools.