Google faced swift criticism Tuesday after announcing that schools using its K-12 software will not be able to use Google Search unless they opt in to its AI tools. The move drew condemnation from several Democratic politicians and a former federal antitrust enforcer, and it prompted the company to change its approach within hours.
Will schools lose Google Search without AI opt-in?
Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, told The New York Times that "Search and AI are deeply integrated." If a school doesn't opt in to AI tools such as Gemini, Phillips said, students "will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available."
Why are lawmakers criticizing Google's school AI policy?
The announcement landed on a busy Election Day, but several left-leaning politicians still made their objections known quickly. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) accused Google of "extortion" in a post on X. "Google is threatening schools: if you stop your students from using AI, we will cut off your access to Google Search," he wrote. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on X that Google is "more concerned with forcing Gemini into schools than enabling students to succeed."
Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission and a longtime critic of tech monopolies, called the decision anticompetitive. "This highlights the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service," she wrote. "Multiple courts have found Google liable for violating antitrust laws, and this latest move shows it remains unchastened."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also accused Google of acting as a monopoly. "No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children," he said.
Search remains a basic tool for finding information, but educators have raised concerns about the AI overviews built into the results. They worry those summaries could discourage students from working out answers on their own. For millions of students who are required to use Chromebooks and Google's education tools, switching to a different search engine is not a simple fix.
Google said it is developing a "Guided Learning" tool for student accounts in Search. The feature is designed to walk students through solving a problem or finding information rather than simply handing them the answer. In one example the company offered, a student struggling with a math problem might be prompted to review the rules for dividing exponents instead of receiving a number.
What did Google change after the backlash?
In response to the backlash, Google posted on X that it had listened to educators by turning off access to AI products by default. The company said schools can turn on Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search individually.
"We know there's concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork, and schools have told us they want control," Google said in its statement. "That's exactly why we are making these changes today to address the feedback we've heard from educators in recent months. And we'll continue to engage deeply with educators to ensure we are giving schools more choice, more controls, and improved Search for learning."
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
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