Google will cut search access for schools that ban AI use

Google said on Tuesday that K-12 schools which block AI will also lose access to Google Search for their students. Its education vice president, Chris Phillips, said Search and AI are deeply integrated, so affected students will see a message that Search is unavailable. Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search will be off by default for K-12 student accounts, and school administrators can turn each one on separately. The changes followed educator concerns that students use AI to shortcut schoolwork, and they are expected to roll out in early 2027. Senator Bernie Sanders called the policy extortion, and former FTC chair Lina Khan accused Google of using its search dominance to coerce schools. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said no corporation should dictate how children are taught. Google says roughly 150 million students and teachers use its Classroom platform.