Google to cut off search for schools that ban A.I.

Google will make A.I. tools opt-in for K-12 schools next year, but schools that ban A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google search.

Google will cut off access to its search engine for schools that block artificial intelligence entirely, as it makes its A.I. tools opt-in for K-12 students, the New York Times reports.

Google announced on Tuesday that early next year it would turn off A.I. tools in its software for K-12 students unless school administrators choose to make them available. Executives said they wanted to respond to educators and parents who have asked for more control over how children interact with A.I.

The catch is that A.I. features are now a standard part of Google’s search engine. “Search and A.I. are deeply integrated,” said Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education.

If a school has banned A.I., he added, students “will not have access to search, and they’ll see a message from their school that indicates it’s not available.”

Google dominates US classrooms. Its apps, including Gmail, Docs and Classroom, are ubiquitous, and its Chromebooks are the most widely issued student devices.