Students who want to use Google search in classroom accounts will need access to AI tools, the company says - Boston Herald
By Google News AI ·
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer
Students using Google software in the classroom will not be allowed to access the company’s search engine unless their school system also opts in to artificial intelligence tools, the tech giant said Tuesday.
The Mountain View, California, company has been facing pushback from educators, child development experts and parents over the use of its technology in schools, with the backlash heating up since it announced in August that it had turned on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students who use Google Classroom.
On Tuesday, the company said that practice would no longer be the default option for school administrators and that opting out of AI tools would also mean losing access to Google search.
Access to Google’s AI features — Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom — as well as Google search will be automatically turned off for K-12 student accounts until “school administrators explicitly turn them on,” Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president and general manager of education, said in a blog post.
“We believe schools should have control over AI in their classrooms and in providing administrators with controls to help them manage their approach,” Phillips wrote.
Google is by far the dominant provider of education technology for U.S. schools. Worldwide, the company says 150 million students and teachers use its Google Classroom platform and many students use school-provided Chromebook computers.
Google faced an outcry in August when it switched on its Gemini chatbot for many K-12 students. Until August, Google had only allowed Gemini to be turned on for students 18 or older.
Tuesday’s announcement was met with swift criticism from educators and policymakers.
“Google is using its search monopoly to coerce schools…
Originally published by Google News AI