Policy2 sources
Google: Schools can keep search while skipping Gemini, but AI search is non-negotiable
Ars Technica · By Ryan Whitwam ·
The Brief
- Google announced a new AI policy for K–12 schools earlier in the week of the Ars Technica report, drawing criticism from educators and parents.
- Early reporting suggested Google would block search access for schools that did not enable its AI features; Google says schools can keep search while skipping Gemini.
- Google says AI search is non-negotiable, so schools keeping Google search will still get AI search as part of it.
- EFF reports Google then backtracked, decoupling the services and turning them off by default, but search will remain an AI chatbot.
Why it matters
School IT administrators who depend on Google Workspace for Education or Google Search need to know that AI search is tied to keeping search access, even though Gemini can be skipped.
Who’s affected
- K–12 schools using Google search
- School IT administrators
What to do
- Review Google's K–12 AI settings to confirm which AI services are enabled by default before rollout
Google faced the ire of educators and parents earlier this week when it announced a new AI policy for K–12 schools . Google said that it developed its new approach to give schools more control, but early reporting also suggested Google would block search access for schools that…
Timeline
Ars Technica reports that schools can keep search while skipping Gemini, but AI search is non-negotiable
AI - Ars Technica
Google: Schools can keep search while skipping Gemini, but AI search is non-negotiable
EFF publishes critique saying Google backtracked, decoupled services and turned them off by default
Deeplinks
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AI - Ars Technica
Google: Schools can keep search while skipping Gemini, but AI search is non-negotiable