Google will switch Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search off for K-12 student accounts until a school administrator turns them on. Chris Phillips, who runs Google’s education business, announced the change on 3 November, writing that access “will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on.”
The catch is that Search for students now includes AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. Phillips told The New York Times that “Search and A.I. are deeply integrated”, so a school that wants no AI for its students may also be choosing no Google Search. Google has not said whether schools will be able to switch off only the AI parts of Search, or when the change takes effect; it says it will share details with schools “in the coming months”.
The move reverses an August rollout that turned Gemini in Classroom on by default and drew criticism from administrators and child-safety groups. New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, accused Google of using its search dominance to push AI into schools; Google said on X that the change gives schools “more choice, not less”.
Google also made Guided Learning, a study mode that walks students through problems rather than giving answers, available in Classroom worldwide.
Source: Google’s announcement