Google to disable AI tools for K-12 students unless schools opt in

Google announced that its Gemini AI tools – including Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and related features – will be disabled by default for K-12 student accounts. Access to Google Search will also be blocked for schools that do not turn on these AI services, according to a blog post by Chris Phillips, vice president and general manager of education at Google.

Phillips wrote that the change is intended to give schools "control over AI in their classrooms" and to provide administrators with the ability to manage the technology.

Education advocates responded that the policy could penalize districts that choose not to use the AI tools. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the move "prioritizes business interests over the education of our children."

Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Fairplay, described the approach as an attempt to "strong-arm schools into using its AI products" and urged districts to consider privacy-protective alternatives for search and research.

The policy follows earlier criticism from parent groups and experts who argued that unrestricted AI access could lead students to rely on automated assistance for assignments. In October, a coalition of parent organizations called for districts to disable both Gemini and YouTube services.

Google has long held a dominant position in U.S. education technology, with most school districts using Chromebooks and a majority of assignments involving Google products, according to a 2023 Schoolytics report. While the company has begun offering multi-day AI training for educators, research on the long-term educational impact of AI remains limited, with the Stanford Graduate School of Education noting a lack of high-quality causal studies.