Google told schools Tuesday that students on its classroom software cannot use its search engine unless their school system also opts in to its AI tools, the Associated Press reported.
Gemini, Gemini Notebook and search will each be off by default for K-12 student accounts until administrators turn them on. Google's search is integrated with AI. Schools that opt out of AI altogether lose search too.
Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, wrote in a blog post: "We believe schools should have control over AI in their classrooms." Google also said it is updating search to be "better for learning," with step-by-step guided learning.
The scale is in the numbers. Google says 150 million students and teachers use Google Classroom worldwide. AP calls Google "by far the dominant provider" of education technology for U.S. schools.
Critics responded the same day. Lina Khan, former Federal Trade Commission chair, wrote on social media: "Google is using its search monopoly to coerce schools into adopting AI." Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, said the approach is "likely to backfire" and urged schools to turn off Google's AI tools.
The AP article shows no Google response to Khan or Golin.
In August, Google switched on Gemini for many K-12 students. New York City and Los Angeles have issued temporary bans on generative AI tools in some grades.
The switch is off by default. The bundle is not.