Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AI

Google told The New York Times that it will completely turn off Search in schools that reject its AI features, and a Tuesday education update said Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search "will be entirely off" for K-12 student accounts unless administrators explicitly turn them on. Administrators cannot disable Gemini-powered features without also disabling Search, and VP of education Chris Phillips said schools that disable the AI features "will not have access to search" and will see a message from their school. Google is also embedding its Guided Learning feature into AI Overviews in Search, with testing in select US schools starting this month.