Google gives schools choice on AI tools after search access backlash
Google announced in the United States that it will give K-12 schools the option to enable or disable its AI features in Search and Gemini without losing access to Google Search, after criticism of its earlier policy that would have cut search access if AI tools were blocked. Earlier, the company had said that turning off its Gemini AI tools for student accounts would automatically disable Google Search for those accounts, a stance that prompted backlash from educators and officials who warned that schools could lose essential search functionality.