Google keeps AI in school Search despite backlash from officials

New York City and Los Angeles schools responded to Google's Search plan in a report by AFP on 5 November 2026.

Google said on 3 November that schools that ban its AI will lose Search on pupil accounts. After criticism that day, it said on X that schools can turn on Search alone, without Gemini. NBC News reported that Search will still include AI features, which Google said will guide pupils through problems step by step.

If a school is not comfortable with that and simply wants AI off, then they have the choice to not have Search on at all

AFP reported that New York City's school system has already disabled Gemini and AI Mode on pupils' Chromebooks. It has asked Google to disable AI Overviews, the summaries above search results. Los Angeles Unified said it is reviewing the announcement.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google on X of using "its monopoly power" to force AI into schools. Senator Bernie Sanders called the plan "extortion", TechCrunch reported. Education Week said Google's statement did not answer nine questions from two US senators.

For school leaders, the choice is Search with AI or no Google Search on pupil accounts. Education Week reported that settings can differ by grade and that outside tools can block some AI content. It quoted Common Sense Media, a children's advocacy group, as saying smaller districts may lack the staff for this. Rich Calkins, a superintendent in New York state, told K-12 Dive his district is waiting to see how Google applies the change.

Google told AFP the controls will be rolled out worldwide, beginning in the United States. It has set no date, though Education Week reported that Google expects the changes early next year. In Australia, ABC News quoted a Swinburne University AI expert objecting to the Search condition.

Google has not said when the controls will reach UK schools. Education Week said its statement did not say whether Search without AI is coming. Chalkbeat reported that New York officials did not answer whether the city would consider leaving Google products.

Sources

1. Phys.org (AFP) | Google turns off AI for schoolchildren by default
2. K-12 Dive | Google will turn off its search engine for schools by default. Is it an AI 'ultimatum'?
3. Education Week | Google's New Rules Hand Schools Hard Choices About AI and Search
4. NBC News | Google to shut off search for schools that opt out of AI
5. TechCrunch | Google faces backlash for plan that would turn off Search for schools that restrict AI
6. Chalkbeat New York | Mamdani pushes back on Google's classroom AI bundle
7. ABC News | Ministers agree to huge school system shake-up and antisemitism plan