Google will let schools switch off Gemini, but AI still comes with Search
Google plans to give school administrators separate controls over Gemini and Google Search for K-12 student accounts. A school can leave the Gemini chatbot off while allowing Search, but it cannot keep Google's search engine and remove AI features from it entirely.
The change follows criticism of AI tools appearing in classrooms without schools having a clear way to opt out. Google says access to Search, Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom will be off for K-12 student accounts until administrators choose to enable them.
Search and the Gemini chatbot have separate controls
Google's education announcement says it will share implementation details with schools before the changes roll out. The policy concerns school-managed student accounts, not a blanket shutdown of Google Search for every child or every personal account.
Image: Google
Schools can choose not to enable the standalone Gemini app. But the Associated Press reports that AI is integrated into Search, so schools wanting to avoid Google's AI features altogether would also have to leave Search disabled for those accounts.
That is an important choice for administrators: declining the chatbot and declining AI in Search are not the same setting. Google has not given a precise launch date in its announcement and says schools will get more information in the coming months.
Image: Google
Google is also testing guided answers for schoolwork
Google says it is bringing Guided Learning to Search, with a pilot in selected US schools later in November. For certain homework queries, it intends to present prompts that walk students through a problem instead of immediately providing the answer.
Teacher-assigned Guided Learning is already rolling out globally in Google Classroom, according to the company. The Search pilot and the account controls are separate changes, and individual schools will decide which of the covered services to enable.
