What changed
Google announced on Tuesday that it will not provide schools with an option to disable AI Overviews, the chatbot-generated answers at the top of search results. Instead, schools will have to block access to search altogether to eliminate the feature. This decision has stunned educators, parents, and technology researchers across the US.
What this means in practice
The decision means that schools will no longer be able to opt out of AI Overviews, which are integrated into the traditional search experience. AI Overviews and a companion feature called AI Mode, launched in 2023 and 2025 respectively, bring the functionality of AI chatbots like Gemini or ChatGPT directly into search results. Educators argue that these features are making it easier for students to skip real effort, pull instant answers, and rely on potentially inaccurate information.
Limitations and availability
The issue for schools and parents is that Google considers AI Overviews and AI Mode inseparable from the traditional search experience. Without an official way to disable AI Overviews, schools have turned to technical work-arounds, including modifying search URLs and adopting browser extensions that change how Google results appear. However, these loopholes could stop functioning if Google changes how its search results are delivered. Smaller search engines like DuckDuckGo see an opportunity to win business from schools frustrated with Google.
