Google will cut Search for K-12 schools that disable AI

Google will turn its AI tools off by default for K-12 student accounts starting in early 2027, but schools that go further and block AI entirely will also lose Google Search for those students, TechCrunch reported.

Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, told The New York Times that "Search and AI are deeply integrated." Students at schools that opt out "will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available," he said. The default-off policy covers Gemini, NotebookLM, Gemini in Classroom, and Search itself, and Google says the change follows consultations with schools, teachers, researchers and policymakers.

That leaves administrators without a middle setting. Teachers who want to stop students from using AI Overviews to finish assignments but still let them look up sources will not find that option in the new controls, as CNN also noted.

Google paired the announcement with the launch of Guided Learning, an AI tutor pitched as building understanding rather than handing over direct answers, a response to concerns that chatbots undermine critical thinking.