Google has found itself at the centre of a row over artificial intelligence in classrooms after announcing a policy that could leave some school students without access to Google Search. The company said on November 3 that it will disable Google Search and its AI tools by default for school-managed accounts belonging to kindergarten to Year 12 students, leaving school administrators to decide which services to switch back on.
Because Google does not offer a version of its search engine without integrated AI features for these accounts, a school that refuses AI entirely would also lose Google Search for its students. That trade-off has drawn the fiercest criticism.
Google has since defended the changes as giving schools more control, but the dispute has widened into a broader argument about large technology companies and public education.
Schools Must Choose Between AI-Powered Search and No Search
The changes were set out in a Google blog post titled “Designing Responsible AI for Learning”. Under the new policy, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will all be turned off by default for school-managed student accounts. Administrators will be able to activate each service individually, picking the combination that fits their school’s approach.
What administrators cannot do, however, is keep traditional Google Search while switching off every AI feature. Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told The New York Times that Search and AI have become closely integrated, and that students at schools which prohibit AI completely will not have access to Google Search through their school accounts. Instead, they will see a message explaining that the service is unavailable.
The changes are expected to take effect in early 2027. For schools hoping to hold the line against AI, that leaves a stark choice.
Google Introduces Guided Learning in Classrooms
Alongside the new restrictions, Google announced a feature called Guided Learning, designed to help students understand their schoolwork rather than simply handing them answers. The feature will be available through Google Classroom and built into AI Mode and AI Overviews in Google Search.
Instead of immediately providing a finished answer, Guided Learning aims to walk students through a problem with explanations, questions and step-by-step instructions, building understanding rather than handing over work to copy. It is already available globally in Classroom, with a Search pilot at selected US schools starting in November; AI Overviews arrived in Search in May 2024.
Bernie Sanders and New York Mayor Criticise Google
The announcement drew swift and strong criticism from American politicians. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused the company of using its dominance in online search to pressure public schools into accepting AI, while Senator Bernie Sanders described the policy as extortion and accused Google of threatening schools. Former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan raised similar concerns.
Mamdani wrote that Google was trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into public schools, adding that no corporation should have the power to dictate how children are taught and that public schools exist to serve students, not to grow the profit margins of large technology companies. Khan argued that the policy showed the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service, and pointed to court findings against Google over its business practices.
Google Defends Its AI Policy
Following the criticism, Google issued a statement on X defending the changes. The company said its goal was to give schools greater control over how students use artificial intelligence, and it repeated that Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be turned off by default, with administrators free to choose which services to activate.
Google also said the updated Search experience would use Guided Learning to discourage students from relying on AI-generated answers to complete assignments. Google said the changes respond to educators’ concerns about students using AI to avoid schoolwork. What the statement did not directly explain, however, was why schools cannot keep Google Search enabled while disabling all AI features. That gap between the company’s message of greater choice and the practical reality of an all-or-nothing search offering remains the central complaint of its critics.
Concerns About AI’s Impact on Children
The dispute comes amid growing concern about the effects of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies on children. The nonprofit organisation Common Sense Media recently gave Google’s AI Overviews an “unacceptable risk” rating, and in October, US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley launched an inquiry into Google’s expanding use of AI in classrooms, requesting information about the company’s approach and the potential risks involved.
Other firms have faced similar scrutiny: Meta settled litigation in August over alleged mental-health effects of Facebook and Instagram on children, and OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for Teens after investigations by state attorneys general.
Google’s latest policy adds to the wider debate over how technology companies should introduce AI into schools. Although the company says it wants to give educators more control, schools seeking to prohibit AI entirely will still lose Google Search access on managed student accounts unless the company changes its approach.
