If your school wants to keep AI out of the classroom, Google has a difficult choice waiting. The company says schools that disable AI entirely for students will also lose access to Google Search. The change could put administrators in a rather unsual situation as concerns about AI in education continue growing.

Google ties school Search access to its AI strategy

In today’s announcement, Google outlined new controls for Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search. According to the company, these services will remain disabled for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly enable them.

Google argues that Search and AI are deeply integrated, meaning schools that reject AI altogether will also lose student access to Search. In short, this leaves schools choosing between accepting Google’s AI features and giving up its search engine.

That decision could prove frustrating for educators who want students to research topics online without receiving AI-generated answers. It also raises questions about how much control schools should have over tools they use daily.

Google is bringing Guided Learning to classrooms

Interestingly, Google is also trying to address concerns that AI makes schoolwork too easy. Its Guided Learning feature aims to help students solve problems step by step instead of immediately providing answers.

Google says Guided Learning is now globally available in Google Classroom. The company plans to begin testing similar capabilities in Search at selected US schools later this month, with educator feedback helping shape future expansion.

The timing is hard to ignore, by the way. Several school districts have raised concerns about AI-assisted cheating and the effect of chatbots on learning. Google previously enabled certain AI features in Classroom by default, prompting criticism from educators who wanted greater control.

The updated policy appears to be Google’s response, although its approach leaves an uncomfortable trade-off. Schools can manage access, but completely rejecting AI means losing Search within the school-managed experience.

In case you are unaware, the latest change in policy has caught attention of the New York City Mayor, Zohran Kwame Mandani, who, reposting The New York Times report on the matter on X wrote, “Google is trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools. No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children. Our public schools exist to serve students, not to grow the profit margins of Big Tech.”

Google says it will share more details in the coming months.