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

Google will entirely disable Google Search for K-12 student accounts in schools that decline its AI features, the company told The New York Times and detailed in an education update published Tuesday. Access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search "will be entirely off" unless administrators explicitly turn them on, and administrators cannot toggle off Gemini-powered features without also disabling Search. Google vice president of education Chris Phillips told the NYT, "Search and AI are deeply integrated.

Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AI By Emma RothSource: The Verge AI https://www.theverge.com Google is completely turning off Search in schools that reject its AI features, the company told The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/google-search-schools-restrict-ai.html?unlocked article code=1.NlE.VMKr.Cr-g-C6phyfH . The decision was also shared in a broader education-related update https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/education/ai-learning-era-updates-2026/ from Google on Tuesday, saying that access to Gemini https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/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 will not be given the option to toggle Gemini-powered features off without disabling Search, however. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president of education, told the NYT , "Search and AI are deeply integrated," adding that schools that disable … Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.