Google links school search engine to choice over AI
Schools that fully disable Google’s AI features will also lose access to Search, according to the company.
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Google is giving schools more control over AI features in Classroom and Search. At the same time, the company says schools that fully disable AI will no longer be able to use its search function.
Google announced the change on Tuesday in a blog post about its education products. Administrators can manage features such as Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search separately, but the company says Search is technically linked to AI features.
That means a school that disables all AI features also loses Google’s search engine for school accounts. Google also says it wants to improve search results for learning by providing step-by-step guidance with assignments, so that pupils receive more than just a short answer.
The announcement follows criticism of the use of generative AI in education. Schools and parents are concerned about privacy, cheating and the effect of quick answers on independent thinking. Google says schools should retain control over the settings.
According to AP, around 150 million pupils and teachers worldwide use Google Classroom. From a digital-rights perspective, combining Chromebooks and school accounts from Google could raise concerns about dependence on the company.
Critics see the link between Search and AI as leverage to keep schools within the Google ecosystem. The question is whether schools have a genuine choice when opting out of AI also means losing a widely used search service. According to Google, the new settings will be disabled by default until schools turn them on themselves.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Google is introducing new settings for schools covering AI features and Search.
- According to Google, fully disabling AI may also disable the search function.
- Google Classroom is widely used around the world.
Left
Arguments A critical digital-rights approach sees the link as a means of exerting power by a dominant technology provider and calls for privacy-protecting alternatives.
Values Public oversight, privacy, freedom of choice and equal access to education.
Consequences Schools can switch to other services, but this costs money, training and time.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach wants schools to decide for themselves, but expects clear explanations of how the system works, its privacy implications and its educational effects.
Values School autonomy, transparency and practicality.
Consequences Schools must develop policies on AI while remaining dependent on suppliers’ technical choices.
Right
Arguments A market-oriented perspective stresses that schools themselves are responsible for their choice of products and that AI can provide useful educational tools.
Values Innovation, institutional freedom of choice and efficiency.
Consequences Rapid adoption can bring benefits, but schools unable to switch remain dependent on Google’s conditions.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core of the policy is set out in Google’s own blog and described independently by AP. The text makes no unsubstantiated claim about its application in the Netherlands.
- confirmed Google is giving schools separate settings for AI features and Search. — Google’s education blog describes the new management options. source
- confirmed According to Google, schools that fully disable AI also lose access to Search. — AP explicitly describes this technical link. source
- confirmed Around 150 million pupils and teachers use Google Classroom. — AP attributes this figure to Google. source
Editor's note
The technical link and the new management options come from Google’s own announcement. The criticism is attributed to AP and organisations involved; the consequences for Dutch schools have not yet been established.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „google onderwijs”
- Het Parool — „google onderwijs”
- NRC — „google onderwijs”