Google to disable AI and Search by default on K-12 student accounts
Schools must opt in to Gemini, Classroom AI tools and Search, and cannot keep plain search results without AI features, Google says.
Google said on November 3, 2026, that it will turn off Gemini, NotebookLM, Google Classroom AI features and Google Search by default on K-12 student accounts, according to aitimes.com. School administrators will have to enable the services themselves. The change will roll out over the coming months.
Google said schools cannot switch on plain search results while keeping AI Overviews or AI Mode switched off. In its account, search is now so deeply tied to AI that a school that blocks AI cannot use search at all.
As an alternative, Google proposed Guided Learning, a tool that walks students through the steps of solving a problem instead of handing them the answer. It is to be piloted in some US schools before a wider rollout. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president of education, is the executive tied to the education business.
Criticism from New York and a former FTC chair
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the move, saying no company should decide how children are taught. Former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan said Google is using its search dominance to force AI adoption on schools.
Some US schools have been restricting indiscriminate student use of generative AI. Districts including New York City and Los Angeles Unified, which limited student access to generative AI, now face a choice over whether to keep offering Google Search. Chromebooks and Google's education services are widely used in US schools.
Quick answers
Which Google products will be off by default for K-12 students?
Gemini, NotebookLM, Google Classroom AI features and Google Search will be disabled by default until school administrators enable them.
Can schools keep Google Search but block AI Overviews?
No. Google said schools cannot enable plain search results while disabling AI Overviews or AI Mode.
What is Guided Learning?
A Google alternative that walks students through problem-solving steps instead of giving answers, to be piloted in some US schools before a wider rollout.