Google Disables AI By Default In K-12 Schools, Links Search Access to AI Opt-In

Google has announced that its AI products, including the Gemini chatbot, will be turned off by default for K-12 schools using its education software. Schools will need to manually enable these tools. This decision follows criticism regarding AI's widespread availability in classrooms. Notably, schools opting out of AI will also lose access to Google Search, which now includes AI features, a move that has drawn backlash from some education advocates who accuse Google of trying to 'strong-arm schools into using its AI products.'