ALBAWABA - Google has said that it will be switching off AI tools for schoolchildren after facing criticism for pushing the technology on students while schools still debate whether or not to use it.
Schools in the U.S. are still debating whether or not to allow AI into classrooms, at which age should the technology be introduced, and how exactly the technology should be used in classrooms.
Google as a company is heavily integrated in education with apps including Gmail, Docs and the Classroom platform, being used in classrooms in the U.S. and abroad, furthermore its low-cost Chromebook laptops are the devices U.S. schools most often issue to students.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Google announced that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search will be turned off for student accounts until schools decide to turn them on.
Google will disable Search for students if their schools choose to block all of its AI features
Schools must allow Google's AI tools to keep Search available to students https://t.co/jnMWRFBG6k
These changes, however, will mean that schools will not be able to provide their students with Google’s search engine as "Search and A.I. are deeply integrated," Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education said.
If AI is banned then students "will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available."
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was unconvinced and accused Google of "trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools."
"No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children," he wrote in a post on X.
Google defended itself in a post on X saying that it is giving "schools more choice, not less."
"We know there's concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork, and schools have told us they want control," they said.
Pshemaf Choiaqo is a digital marketer with a passion for media, style, and presentation.
He enjoys researching unorthodox and nonconventional subjects almost as much as he enjoys writing about them.
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