Students in K-12 classrooms across the country who use Google software will no longer have access to the technology company’s online search and artificial intelligence tools in the coming months unless their school administrators explicitly make them available.
In a Tuesday blog post, the company’s Vice President of Education Chris Phillips wrote that Google made the decision, which will go into effect next year, because the company wanted schools to have more control over how AI is used by students.
“Our goal is simple: provide school leaders the control and confidence to use AI products in classrooms as they see fit,” Phillips wrote.
Google products, such as Gmail, Docs and Classroom, are widely used in school districts across the country. The use of AI tools by students has come under great scrutiny as tools, such as Google’s Gemini, have been more widely used by students. Research shows AI tools can help students, but there is also evidence the technology can undermine learning.
The company said that because the AI tool and the search function are deeply interconnected, the products must be used — or restricted — together.
Google’s announcement was met by criticism from antitrust advocates, who noted that the company has previously been found liable for violating antitrust laws.
“Google is using its search monopoly to coerce schools into adopting AI. This highlights the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service,” Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission said in a Tuesday social media post. “As the public increasingly pushes back against the use of AI in schools, Google is making clear it will punish those who don’t fall in line.”
This story was originally published by EdSource.