Google school AI search policy draws Senate challenge

Google faces growing opposition from parents, teachers and US lawmakers over a policy that leaves schools unable to provide students with its search engine while excluding all generative artificial intelligence features.

Senator Edward Markey on Monday demanded that the company reverse the arrangement, warning that schools should not have to choose between protecting children from AI chatbots and retaining a widely used educational research tool.

Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote to Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai seeking answers by 30 November about whether schools could retain conventional search results without AI Overviews, Guided Learning or Gemini. He also requested evidence about the technology’s effects on children’s learning, safety and mental health.

The intervention followed objections from families and educators who say Google’s approach undermines their ability to decide how technology is introduced into classrooms. Critics argue that integrating AI into an essential research service places particular pressure on schools already dependent on Google’s education software.

Google announced on 3 November that Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search would be disabled by default for kindergarten-to-secondary-school student accounts until administrators explicitly activated them. Schools can enable the services individually, meaning they may reject the standalone Gemini chatbot while keeping Search.

However, Search itself includes AI-generated summaries and conversational features that administrators cannot fully remove. A school determined to prohibit generative AI altogether would therefore have to leave Google Search disabled for affected student accounts.

Chris Phillips, Google’s vice-president and general manager of education, said the company was responding to feedback from teachers, researchers and policymakers. He maintained that schools should control their approach to AI and that revised settings would give administrators greater confidence.

Google has also argued that AI and Search are deeply integrated. Its clarification emphasised that administrators could activate individual services rather than accept the entire package, although it offered no conventional, AI-free version of Search.

Senator Bernie Sanders described the arrangement as “extortion”, while former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan accused Google of exploiting its position in internet search to pressure schools into adopting AI. Their comments reflected broader concern about the influence of technology suppliers over classroom decisions.

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani also criticised the policy, arguing that companies should not determine how children are taught. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, accused Google of putting commercial priorities ahead of classroom safety and privacy.

Josh Golin, executive director of the children’s advocacy organisation Fairplay, warned that attempting to pressure schools could encourage them to seek alternatives. Campaigners say students need access to reliable research materials without being required to interact with AI-generated answers.

Google’s position is complicated by its extensive presence in education. The company says approximately 150 million students and teachers use Google Classroom worldwide, while Chromebooks and associated services form part of everyday instruction across numerous American school districts.

The dispute intensified after Google expanded Gemini availability for younger Classroom users in August, prompting questions about whether children could access chatbots before schools had developed appropriate safeguards. Educators have expressed concern about inaccurate responses, shortcuts in homework and the potential erosion of independent reasoning.

New York City has restricted student-facing generative AI for younger pupils, while Los Angeles Unified has imposed a temporary moratorium on such tools on district devices. Those decisions illustrate why some administrators want separate controls for conventional web research and chatbot functions.

Yvette Renteria, chief programme officer at Common Sense Media, has argued that ordinary search without generative AI would be preferable for schools seeking to protect younger students. She has also warned that smaller districts may lack the technical resources needed to devise alternative arrangements.

Google is introducing Guided Learning capabilities within Search and Classroom, intended to encourage pupils to work through problems step by step rather than receive immediate answers. The company says these features are designed to support understanding and preserve students’ engagement with academic tasks.

Markey’s letter also asks whether Google has assessed the effects of these functions on children under 13 and how many school districts currently restrict chatbot access. His questions follow an earlier bipartisan inquiry by senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley into Google’s deployment of AI for pupils.

Google says further implementation details will be shared with schools before the changes begin rolling out next year, allowing administrators time to prepare their settings and policies.