Google lets schools switch off its AI tools, but turning off AI also cuts students off from Search
Schools that want Search for student accounts will have to accept its AI features, which Google plans to extend with step-by-step tutoring.
Google says K-12 student accounts will have Gemini, NotebookLM, Gemini in Classroom and Search switched off by default from next year, with administrators needing to turn each one on. The company's education VP, Chris Phillips, said Search and AI are so tightly linked that a school refusing AI will also cut students off from Search, which will show a notice that it is unavailable. Schools that want Search will therefore have to accept its AI features, a notable point given how widely Chromebooks and Google's education apps are used. Google also plans to add its Guided Learning step-by-step tutoring to Search for student accounts, starting with tests in select US schools this month. The rollout of the new controls is set for the coming months, after Google reversed an August move that had enabled some AI features in Classroom by default.
Why it matters
The change puts the choice of AI in the hands of school administrators rather than defaulting it on. It also shows how Google ties its core search service to its AI products, so a school cannot opt out of one without losing the other. Google reversed an earlier August move that had turned some Classroom AI features on by default, suggesting that educator pushback has shaped how far the company is willing to go. The effect is that K-12 students will reach AI tools only where a school has deliberately enabled them.
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