Google ties Search access to AI in schools, forcing choice

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 17:16 · Archive

Google will disable Search entirely in schools that reject its AI features, making the tools inseparable.

Google announced on Tuesday that AI tools will be disabled by default for K-12 students next year unless school administrators explicitly turn them on. The change will affect Gemini, NotebookLM, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search. The decision follows consultations with schools, teachers, researchers, and policymakers.

Schools that want to restrict AI entirely will lose access to Google Search entirely, as AI features are now integrated into the search engine. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, told The New York Times that 'Search and AI are deeply integrated'. Students in schools that disable AI features 'will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available'.

This creates a dilemma for schools. Teachers may want to prevent students from using AI Overviews in Search to complete assignments, but they likely still need them to access the search engine for research and finding learning materials. Given Google's dominance in classrooms and the widespread use of Chromebooks, the decision underscores the company's influence over education. Schools that want to continue using Google Search will have to accept its AI features.

Google is also embedding its Guided Learning feature into AI Overviews in Search to help students work through problems rather than finding shortcuts. The company will begin testing this feature in select US schools this month.

How it is being reported

• Google says students in schools that ban AI won't have access to SearchThis is another example of how closely Google Search is tied to the company's AI products.Engadget · 3 Nov, 17:10
• Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AIGoogle is completely turning off Search in schools that reject its AI features, the company told The New York Times. The decision was also shared in a broader education-related update from Google on Tuesday, saying that access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search "will be entirely off" for K-12 student accounts […]The Verge · 3 Nov, 17:00
• Google will let schools disable its AI tools, but not without sacrificing SearchSchools choosing to restrict AI altogether will no longer be able to access Google Search, as AI features are now integrated into the search engine.TechCrunch · 3 Nov, 16:30

In this story: Google · Gemini · Chris Phillips · The New York Times

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