Google says Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be "entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on," according to its education announcement. The change is part of what Google calls an updated approach to controls for those four products.
Schools that want AI off may lose Search
Google's post does not say what happens to a school that keeps AI off. Chalkbeat quotes Chris Phillips, a Google vice president and general manager for education: "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."
Chalkbeat reports the reason: AI is deeply integrated into Search and cannot be switched off.
What students would see
The Verge reported that students at those schools would see a message from their school saying Search is not available. Google's own blog post does not describe this, so treat it as secondhand until Google publishes details.
Guided Learning pilot
Google also says a Guided Learning pilot in Search and Classroom starts "later this month" in select US schools. It plans to expand in the coming months.
What is not known
- When the new controls arrive. Google says it will share specifics with schools "in the coming months ahead of the changes rolling out." No dates are given.
- What students see. The blog post does not say what a student sees when a school keeps AI off.
- Whether admins get a middle option. Google has not described one, and we found none in its post.
What to do now
Nothing has changed yet. Parents and students can ask their school which setting it plans to choose. Admins should expect details from Google before anything rolls out. For more on how AI is changing Search, see Google's AI Mode ads and the test of official-sites links in AI Search.
