Google says Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search will be off for K–12 student accounts until school administrators switch them on. Google told AFP the controls would roll out worldwide, starting in the United States, but had not set a date. The change means schools will not be able to provide students with Google Search without its AI features. Google vice president for education Chris Phillips told The New York Times that Search and AI are “deeply integrated,” with AI features built into Google's search engine. Phillips said that if a school bans AI, students will lose access to Search and see a message from their school saying it is unavailable.
The announcement follows criticism that Google was pushing AI features to students while schools were still debating how the technology should be used in classrooms. Google said the changes give schools “more choice, not less,” saying schools are concerned that students could use AI to shortcut schoolwork and have told the company they want control. Google's education apps, including Gmail, Docs and Classroom, are used in classrooms across the United States, and its low-cost Chromebook laptops are the devices U.S. schools most often issue to students. More than 150 million students worldwide use Google Classroom, according to a letter senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley sent Google asking why AI features had been made the default on school devices.
In August, Google opened its Gemini chatbot in Classroom to students of all ages, with class- and assignment-specific prompts, guided help, study guides, practice quizzes and flashcards based on course materials. That feature was on by default for students at schools that had already enabled Gemini. New York and Los Angeles announced plans in September to restrict access to AI tools on school devices.
Los Angeles Unified School District said it was reviewing Google's announcement and that AI could improve teaching and learning if introduced carefully with safeguards. The district's principles call for technology to support rather than replace teachers and to protect student privacy. New York City Public Schools said it was seeking more details from Google; the Gemini chatbot and AI mode were already disabled on student Chromebooks in the city. The district also said it had asked Google to disable AI Overview in search results shown to students. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google of trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into public schools, and said no corporation should dictate how children are taught.