THE CRUNCH
Google has announced new controls that turn its AI products off by default for K-12 student accounts, but there is a catch: schools that keep AI switched off will lose Google Search entirely. In blog posts published on Tuesday, the company said access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be entirely off until school administrators explicitly turn them on. Administrators can enable the products individually, so it is not an all-or-nothing choice between the AI tools themselves.
Search is the exception. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager for education, said that "Search and AI are deeply integrated", so a school that bans AI tools will find that students "will not have access to Search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available". There is no option to keep the search engine while disabling its Gemini-powered features.
The change walks back a decision from this summer, when Google enabled certain AI features by default in Classroom. That move prompted a backlash from educators, as The New York Times reported, and Google has now reversed course. The updated controls will roll out in the coming months, with more specifics promised to schools ahead of the changes.
Alongside the controls, Google is launching Guided Learning in Classroom globally. The tool, already available in the Gemini app, breaks problems into step-by-step explanations with interactive features such as quizzes rather than handing over answers. Google is also adding Guided Learning to Search in student accounts, and will test that approach in select US schools this month. In the school version, teachers will be able to access transcripts of chatbot interactions on student accounts.