Google to disable AI features in K-12 accounts unless schools opt in

Google announced that its Gemini AI services, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be disabled by default for K-12 student accounts. School administrators must actively turn on each feature if they wish to provide access, the company said in a blog post by Chris Phillips, vice president and general manager of education.

Phillips told The New York Times that schools that prohibit AI will see a message indicating that search is unavailable. In a post on X, he added that the company wants schools to have control over AI use in classrooms.

The policy has drawn criticism from several public officials and education groups. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the move attempts to use Google’s market power to force AI into public schools and warned that corporations should not dictate how children are taught. A Google spokesperson did not respond to the mayor’s comments.

Former FTC chair Lina Khan, now chair of the New York City Economic Development Corporation board, said the decision highlights risks of an unregulated dominant search provider controlling an essential service. She referenced past antitrust findings against Google and suggested the policy could penalize schools that resist its AI tools.

Advocacy leaders also voiced concerns. Josh Golin of Fairplay described the approach as "strong-arming" schools and suggested it could backfire, while Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the move puts business interests ahead of education and could limit access to useful tools.

Google noted that roughly 150 million students and teachers use Google Classroom and that many schools rely on Chromebooks provided through its ecosystem. The company previously limited Gemini to users 18 or older and faced backlash when it expanded the chatbot to younger students earlier this year.