What happened
Google will switch AI tools off by default for K-12 student accounts starting early next year, but schools that block AI entirely lose student access to Google Search, leaving districts to weigh control against a core research tool.
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# Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I.
Google is making it easier to restrict its A.I. tools for students. But schools that block A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google’s search engine.
By Dana Goldstein and Natasha Singer
Google announced Tuesday that early next year it would turn off artificial intelligence tools in its popular software for K-12 students, unless school administrators explicitly choose to make such tools available.
Executives at the tech giant said they wanted to be responsive to educators and parents who have asked for more control in how children interact with A.I.
But there is a catch: Schools that choose to restrict A.I. entirely will also lose access to Google search.
A.I. features are now a standard part of Google’s commercially available search engine. “Search and A.I. are deeply integrated,” said Chris Phillips, vice president for education at Google. If a school has banned A.I., he added, students “will not have access to search, and they’ll see a message from their school that indicates it’s not available.”
Google is by far the dominant technology player in K-12 classrooms. Google’s suite of education apps — including Gmail, Docs and an assignment platform called Classroom — is ubiquitous. Google Chromebooks, low-cost laptops, are the most widely issued student devices in U.S. schools. And Google is synonymous with internet search, a crucial tool for students across the globe.
The company’s new strategy underscores Google’s powerful role in American education. If school leaders want continued student access to search within the company’s ecosystem, they will be forced to embrace Google’s A.I.
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Source coverage
Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I.
Google is making it easier to restrict its A.I. tools for students. But schools that block A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google’s search engine.
Full source content
Supported by
# Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I.
Google is making it easier to restrict its A.I. tools for students. But schools that block A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google’s search engine.
By Dana Goldstein and Natasha Singer
Google announced Tuesday that early next year it would turn off artificial intelligence tools in its popular software for K-12 students, unless school administrators explicitly choose to make such tools available.
Executives at the tech giant said they wanted to be responsive to educators and parents who have asked for more control in how children interact with A.I.
But there is a catch: Schools that choose to restrict A.I. entirely will also lose access to Google search.
A.I. features are now a standard part of Google’s commercially available search engine. “Search and A.I. are deeply integrated,” said Chris Phillips, vice president for education at Google. If a school has banned A.I., he added, students “will not have access to search, and they’ll see a message from their school that indicates it’s not available.”
Google is by far the dominant technology player in K-12 classrooms. Google’s suite of education apps — including Gmail, Docs and an assignment platform called Classroom — is ubiquitous. Google Chromebooks, low-cost laptops, are the most widely issued student devices in U.S. schools. And Google is synonymous with internet search, a crucial tool for students across the globe.
The company’s new strategy underscores Google’s powerful role in American education. If school leaders want continued student access to search within the company’s ecosystem, they will be forced to embrace Google’s A.I.
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