Google says schools may lose Search if they opt out of AI

Google’s planned AI tools for schools could leave administrators with a difficult choice: allow AI or lose access to Google Search. The company has said Search and AI are “deeply integrated.”

Google recently outlined plans to add AI Guided Learning to its Classroom offerings. In a blog post, it said school administrators would be able to control student access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search. They will also get updates to how AI Mode and AI Overviews appear on school accounts, intended to avoid simply giving students answers to their schoolwork.

But the source report says schools that opt out of AI could be blocked from using Google Search entirely. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has banned AI use in some schools, criticized the prospect on X, writing that Google was using its “monopoly power to force AI into our public schools.” Former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan also warned on X about an “unregulated monopolist” controlling an essential service. Senator Bernie Sanders called Google’s reported position “extortion.”

Google’s blog post described its goal as giving school leaders control over how AI products are used in classrooms. The report raises questions about how that goal fits with schools’ ability to reject AI while retaining Search. It also notes that the issue could prompt further antitrust scrutiny, though it does not report any new lawsuit.