By Islam El-Sakka
Google announced Tuesday that K-12 students using its education software will lose access to Google Search unless their school districts also enable the company's artificial intelligence tools, including the Gemini chatbot and related features.
Policy Change Follows Backlash
The change, detailed in a blog post by Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, means AI features and Search will be turned off by default for student accounts until administrators explicitly activate them. Phillips wrote that schools should have control over AI in classrooms.
Critics Accuse Coercion
Critics on Tuesday accused Google of leveraging its search monopoly to force AI adoption. Former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan wrote on social media that Google is using its dominance to coerce schools, highlighting the danger of an unregulated monopolist controlling an essential service.
Josh Golin, executive director of children's advocacy group Fairplay, said Google's tactic would backfire and argued its technology in schools aims to build lifetime brand loyalty rather than enhance learning. He urged schools to disable both AI and Google Search, seeking privacy-protective alternatives.
School Districts Respond
New York City and Los Angeles, the nation's largest school districts, have issued temporary bans on generative AI tools in elementary and middle schools while they assess safety and develop policies. Google says 150 million students and teachers worldwide use Google Classroom, and many students rely on school-provided Chromebooks.
