Google will let schools opt out of classroom AI, but search is included

Google plans to let schools decide whether to use its AI tools in K–12 classrooms. When the changes roll out in the coming months, those tools will be turned off by default, and administrators will need to enable them manually.

The choice is broader than a simple AI on/off switch. Google groups Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search together, meaning schools cannot allow some of these services while blocking others. Schools that opt out of AI tools will also have to give up Google Search.

Google says its approach follows consultations with educators, researchers and lawmakers. The policy reflects the company’s wider view of Search: its results increasingly include AI Overviews, and Google is also promoting its conversational AI Mode.

Sources: Ars Technica.