Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AI

<figure> <img alt="An illustration of the Google logo on a red, green, and blue background" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/STK093_GOOGLE_A-1.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Google is completely turning off Search in schools that reject its AI features, the company <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/google-search-schools-restrict-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NlE.VMKr.Cr-g-C6phyfH">told <em>The New York Times</em></a>. The decision was also shared in <a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/education/ai-learning-era-updates-2026/">a broader education-related update</a> from Google on Tuesday, saying that access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search "will be entirely off" for K-12 student accounts unless "administrators explicitly turn them on."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Administrators will not be given the option to toggle Gemini-powered features off without disabling Search, however. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president of education, tells the <em>NYT</em>, "Search and AI are deeply integrated," adding that schools that disabl …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1025411/google-turn-off-search-ai-features">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>