Google's new school AI rule could turn off Search for NYC students, setting up a standoff with City Hall

New York City's public schools, the largest system in the country, are trying to figure out what Google's new rules for artificial intelligence in classrooms will mean for the roughly 500,000 Chromebooks the city has handed to students, after the company said schools that switch off its AI tools would also lose Google Search.

What Google announced

In an education update on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Google said that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be "entirely off" for K-12 student accounts unless school administrators explicitly turn them on, The Verge reported. Google's vice president for education, Chris Phillips, told The New York Times that search and AI are "deeply integrated," so schools that disable the company's AI features will not have access to Search, and students will see a message saying it isn't available.

After the backlash, Google posted on X that the change gives schools "more choice, not less." A company spokesperson told Ars Technica the policy itself had not changed, but clarified how it works: schools can block the Gemini apps and still turn Search on. What they cannot get is Google Search without its AI layer. Turning Search on means choosing either the standard AI Overviews and AI Mode or a new "Guided Learning" version that Google says walks students through problems instead of handing them answers. Google plans to start testing that feature in select U.S. schools this month, according to The Verge. Gothamist reported the policy takes effect early next year.

Where New York City stands

In September, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a one-year pause on most AI programs in city schools along with tighter screen limits, especially for younger students, Gothamist reported. Responding to Google this week, Mamdani wrote on X that the company is "trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools" and that no corporation should dictate how the city teaches its children.

Untangling the system from Google would not be simple. City officials told Gothamist the schools have about 1.3 million Chromebooks: roughly 500,000 assigned to students and another 800,000 kept in schools. Teachers post work to Google Classroom, and students depend on Google Docs and search.

Public schools spokesperson Nicole Brownstein told Gothamist the department is "reaching out to Google to discuss this update further." She said the city has already disabled the Gemini chatbot and AI Mode on student Chromebooks and has asked Google to turn off the AI Overviews that still appear in search results.

What critics want

• Parents: Kelly Clancy, part of a coalition pushing for a full ban on AI in city schools, told Gothamist the moment is a chance to wean the system off Google and teach the fundamentals of research.
• Albany: Assemblymember Alex Bores called it a profit-maximizing "product choice," noting that competitors such as DuckDuckGo let users opt in or out of AI search.
• Contracts: Naveed Hasan, a member of the Panel for Educational Policy, which votes on education contracts, said the city should look at contract terms that stop vendors from changing purchased software midstream.
• Legal questions: Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout argued the move is illegal under antitrust law and said she expects investigations; no such probe had been announced in the reports.

Nationally, Sen. Bernie Sanders called the policy "extortion," The Verge reported. Ars Technica noted that, as a result of the Justice Department's search antitrust case, Google will have to give competitors limited access to its web index, which could eventually make alternatives more viable for schools.

What it means for families now

For the moment, nothing changes on student devices beyond the AI features the city has already switched off. The bigger decision, whether to turn Search on with Google's AI attached or leave it off, falls to the school system before the new policy takes effect. The Department of Education says it will keep students and school communities updated.