Google ties school search access to its artificial intelligence features

Google announced changes to its artificial intelligence offerings for education accounts on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. TechCrunch AI, Forbes, and Bloomberg reported that Google will disable artificial intelligence tools for kindergarten to 12th-grade students next year unless administrators explicitly activate them. However, institutions that choose to restrict artificial intelligence completely will lose access to Google Search, because artificial intelligence features are now built directly into the search engine. [1][2][3][5][6]

The policy revisions apply to Gemini, NotebookLM, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search, according to TechCrunch AI and The Information. TechCrunch AI reported that Google made the decision after consulting with educators, researchers, policymakers, and school administrators. The changes are intended to provide administrators with greater control over technology deployment in classrooms. [1][2]

Competitor DuckDuckGo responded to the policy shift by stating that schools do not need artificial intelligence to search the web, Tom's Guide reported. Gemini is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot and virtual assistant developed by Google that was originally known as Bard. [4][7]

As FTMQ Startups reported earlier, Meta expanded its advertising revenue at more than double the rate of Google search during the third quarter as artificial intelligence targeting tools drove platform gains. That growth gap between Meta ad revenue and Google search expansion reached its widest point since 2021. [9]