Google announced new rules giving school administrators greater control over which AI-powered services students can use. In a Tuesday announcement, the company said AI features will be turned off by default in primary and secondary student accounts, including the Gemini assistant and AI capabilities in Google Search.
The change could affect tens of millions of students worldwide, since Google Chromebooks are widely used in education, often from the early years of primary school. According to Google, schools that fully disable AI will also prevent those student accounts from accessing Google Search. Administrators will be able to re-enable specific services: Google says Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search can each be enabled separately.
Google framed the restriction on Search by noting that search and artificial intelligence have become tightly integrated. The company also indicated there will be no option to use Search without its AI features, based on the announcement. Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, said the change responds to requests from educators and policymakers for greater oversight of AI use in schools. Google has promised to provide more details about how the new system will work.
The company says it wants its AI to support learning rather than simply give ready-made answers. Under a guided-learning approach described by Google, the Search experience could walk a student step by step through solving a homework problem instead of presenting a single solution.
In the United States, a growing number of school districts have restricted screen time and generative AI. Cities including New York and Los Angeles have implemented bans, driven in part by concerns that the technology could undermine students’ independent thinking and learning skills. Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York, sharply criticized Google’s decision, saying the company is trying to force AI use on schools and arguing that no single company should determine how children are taught.
The announcement highlights the broader debate over technology in education: some stakeholders call for more control and transparency over school use of AI, while others worry that platform providers’ policies could shape teaching methods and limit students’ access to core tools such as Search.
Key points
- Default setting: AI features disabled by default in primary and secondary student accounts.
- Admin control: school administrators can enable Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search individually.
- Search limitation: accounts with AI fully disabled will not be able to use Google Search with AI features, and Google says Search cannot be used without its AI functions according to the announcement.
Google said it will release more operational details and configuration options at a later date.
