Google turns off AI for schoolchildren by default

SAN FRANCISCO:

Google has said it will switch off its AI tools for schoolchildren by default, after drawing criticism for pushing artificial intelligence features to students while schools are still debating how the technology should be used in classrooms.

The search engine juggernaut dominates technology in American schools. Its education apps, including Gmail, Docs and the Classroom platform, are used in classrooms across the country, and its low-cost Chromebook laptops are the devices US schools most often issue to students.

Under the changes Google announced in a blog post on Tuesday, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search will be turned off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators switch them on.

Google told AFP the new controls would be rolled out worldwide, beginning in the US, but that it had not yet set a date.

The changes also mean schools will not be able to give students Google Search without its AI features.

Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told The New York Times that “Search and AI are deeply integrated,” as AI features are now built into the company’s search engine.

If a school bans AI, he said, students “will not have access to search, and they’ll see a message from their school that indicates it’s not available.”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google on X of “trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools.”

“No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children,” he wrote.

More than 150 million students worldwide use Google Classroom, according to a letter Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley sent to the company last month asking why AI features had been made the default on school devices.

In August, Google opened its Gemini chatbot in Classroom to students of all ages.

Students were shown starter prompts tied to their specific class and assignment, offering guided help or study guides, practice quizzes and flashcards built from their course materials.

The feature was switched on by default for students at schools that had already enabled Gemini.

New York and Los Angeles both announced plans in September to restrict access to AI tools on school devices.

“We are reviewing Google’s announcement and its potential implications for schools, educators and students,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District told AFP.

The spokesperson said the district believes AI can improve teaching and learning if it is introduced carefully and with clear safeguards, and pointed to district principles requiring that technology support rather than replace teachers and protect student privacy.

In a statement on X, Google said Tuesday’s changes give “schools more choice, not less.”

“We know there’s concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork, and schools have told us they want control,” Google said.

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