What changed
Google has announced that schools using its education products will be opted out of AI tools by default. Administrators will need to manually enable these tools when the changes roll out in the coming months. The decision follows consultations with educators, researchers, and lawmakers.
What this means in practice
The affected products include Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search. Schools that opt out of AI tools will lose access to Google Search, with students seeing a message from their school indicating the search function is unavailable. Google considers search and AI deeply integrated, with most searches now providing an AI Overview at the top. Schools that enable AI for student accounts will have two options: the standard Gemini-based AI and the new 'Guided Learning' version, which offers one-on-one tutoring and assistance without giving away all the answers.
Limitations and availability
Google notes that all its generative AI products can make 'mistakes,' and it may not be difficult to talk the chatbot into doing homework. The company is betting that schools won't want to give up Google Search and will therefore accept AI tools. Schools that prefer not to use Google's approach could switch to alternatives like DuckDuckGo, which allows disabling AI features. The supplied announcement does not specify the exact timeline for the rollout or the availability of the Guided Learning version beyond Classroom and search.
