Google to schools: turn off AI and you lose Google Search. NYC's mayor is pushing back.

Google announced on Nov. 3 that it will switch off Google Search, Gemini, Gemini in Classroom and Gemini Notebook by default for K-12 student accounts. School administrators can turn them back on at any time. Google says schools have been "asking for more control over student use of AI services."

Here's the catch that has educators talking. Google Search now comes with AI Mode and AI Overviews built in, and those can't be switched off on their own, Fortune reports. So a school that wants no AI for students also loses Google Search for students. Google says the change offers "more choice, not less." The parent group Schools Beyond Screens called it a "hostile ultimatum."

New York City answered quickly. This school year the city paused student-facing generative AI for 2-K through 8th grade, the one-year moratorium announced in September. Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted: "Google is trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools."

Some details are still open, K-12 Dive notes, including exactly when the change starts and whether admins can set it by grade or by school.

Why it matters for schools: Google accounts and Chromebooks run a huge share of classrooms. Tech leads should map out their admin settings now, and families will want a clear, simple answer about what their kids can and can't search.

Sources: K-12 Dive, Nov 5 · Fortune, Nov 6 · NYC Mayor's Office, Sept 2