Google Gives Schools Ultimatum on Using AI

Google is giving schools a choice on student AI use, though with a big string attached. Starting early next year, the company will shut off AI tools in its K-12 products by default, unless districts opt in, reports the New York Times. But schools that ban AI altogether won’t just lose Gemini-style helpers—they’ll also lose access to Google Search for students, because, as one Google education executive puts it, “Search and AI are deeply integrated.” The move reverses an August change that had turned AI on by default in Google Classroom, after backlash from educators and parents worried about cheating, misinformation, and dependence on chatbots. Districts that do allow AI will get two search options beginning in 2027: one with AI…