Google announced Tuesday morning that it would switch off AI products by default for students in schools that use the technology giant’s education software.
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that → announce → software
But those schools that forgo its AI services would also be cut off from Google Search.
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that → forgo → Search
The move comes after mounting criticism from advocacy groups and senators about the spread of Google’s AI services available in classrooms.
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move → come → classrooms
Until Tuesday, its AI products — branded under the Gemini moniker — were automatically activated for schools using Google Classroom.
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products → brand → Classroom
Google said Tuesday’s move would also cut off students’ access to Google Search if schools do not enable Gemini, given AI’s growing integration in the company’s search products.
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schools → say → products
Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president and general manager of education, stated in a blog post announcing the change that access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search “will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on.”
“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.
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Phillips → state → approach
Some education and technology advocates immediately slammed the decision, painting the move as a punishment for schools that don’t use Google’s AI.
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that → slam → AI
“It is unfortunate that Google has prioritized its business interests over the education of our children,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a national educators union.
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Weingarten → prioritize → Teachers
“Instead of working with teachers and parents to uphold privacy and ensure their tools are safe and useful, it throws the baby out with the bathwater and bans access to the tools altogether,” she told NBC News in written comments.
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she → work → comments
Josh Golin, executive director of advocacy group Fairplay, said in a statement that Google is attempting “to strong-arm schools into using its AI products.”
“Schools should use this opportunity to help students find more privacy-protective alternatives for search, as well as ways to do more substantive research beyond search and click,” Golin said.
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Golin → say → search
Earlier this year, Google turned on Gemini in its Classroom app, allowing children — regardless of age — to access AI products unless districts disabled it.
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districts → turn → it
Parent advocacy groups and experts on the use of technology in schools denounced Google for providing AI products to children — raising concern that students would outsource their work to AI systems on school devices — and lobbied school districts to disable Gemini products.
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students → denounce → products
In an open letter from early October, thirteen leading parent advocacy organizations — including the Digital Childhood Institute and Schools Beyond Screens — called on school districts to turn off access to Gemini and YouTube, which is also owned by Google.
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which → lead → Google
Google has established a dominant role in education technology over the past 15 years.
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Google → establish → years
The vast majority of Chromebook laptops are purchased by school districts to provide to students.
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majority → purchase → students
Nearly two-thirds of assignments use a Google product, according to a 2023 report by the firm Schoolytics.
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thirds → use → Schoolytics
This year, the company began offering multi-day AI trainings for educators, featuring sessions that focused on how they could mitigate pushback by teachers who don’t want to use AI.
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who → begin → AI
Research on AI in educational settings has not established a long-term benefit for students.
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Research → establish → students
Researchers have also warned that many of the studies conducted so far on AI in education didn’t measure whether it boosted learning, and often did not test whether AI-assisted learning was superior to other teaching methods.
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learning → warn → methods
In Tuesday’s blog post, Google said that for schools that enable the company’s AI products, they will now detect when a student is trying to use them just to get an answer on an assignment.
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student → say → assignment
A redesigned version of Google Search will instead walk students through the topic or problem and work through the concepts, without going directly to the answer, the company said.
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company → redesign → answer
The Aporia
