Google says students at schools that prohibit AI tools will also lose access to Search, arguing that its search service is deeply integrated with AI. The company is updating controls for Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search so administrators can decide which products to enable for K–12 accounts. Google told Engadget that schools can manage access to each product separately.
The controls are expected to roll out in the coming months. Google is reversing a change introduced this summer that turned on some AI features in Classroom by default. That move drew criticism from educators, according to The New York Times, and Google later reversed it.
Google vice president and general manager for education Chris Phillips said that if a school disables AI, students will not be able to use Search and will see a message from their school explaining that access is unavailable.
The company is also expanding Guided Learning, a tool that breaks problems into step-by-step explanations and offers features such as quizzes. It is available globally in Classroom starting Tuesday, and Google plans to add similar guidance to Search for student accounts. The company says the feature is intended to help students work through concepts rather than provide direct answers.
Google will begin testing the Search approach in select US schools this month before expanding it more broadly. In the school version of Guided Learning, teachers will be able to access transcripts of chatbot interactions on student accounts.
Sources: Engadget.