Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., urged Google to reverse a policy that would deny K-12 students access to Google Search at schools that reject its artificial intelligence (AI) tools, escalating scrutiny of how the company bundles AI into classroom technology.
In a Nov. 9 letter to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Markey called on the company to allow schools to retain Search while disabling generative AI features and chatbots. He requested answers by Nov. 30 about the policy, its technical basis, and the company’s safety testing.
“In other words, Google is making AI the price of admission to Search,” Markey wrote.
Google’s products reach a substantial education audience. In September 2024, the company reported more than 150 million teachers and students using Classroom and Assignments globally.
State data offer another measure of Google’s footprint in K-12 education: Washington’s 2025-2026 school technology survey identified Chrome OS as 82% of the reported student device fleet. The survey received responses from 271 of 295 districts.
Search would retain AI under new Google policy
Google announced Nov. 3 that access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search will default to off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators enable them. The changes are expected to begin in early 2027, according to The New York Times.
The new controls give administrators a way to withhold individual services, but Google will not offer schools an AI-free version of Search under the announced approach.
“Search and AI are deeply integrated,” Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president and general manager for education, told the Times. Students at schools that ban AI would lose Search access and see a message indicating that their school made it unavailable, he said.
Google defended the changes in a subsequent statement, saying schools could enable Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search individually. Administrators could therefore allow Search while keeping the standalone Gemini service off. Search itself, however, would continue to include AI capabilities.
The company said it would update AI Mode and AI Overviews in Search to guide students through schoolwork step by step, addressing educators’ concerns about students using AI to obtain quick answers.
Children’s advocacy group Fairplay said Google was relying on Search’s popularity to persuade schools to accept its AI.
“Schools shouldn’t be fooled by this bait and switch,” said Josh Golin, Fairplay’s executive director.
Google expands Guided Learning
Google also said Nov. 3 that it made Guided Learning globally available in Classroom and planned a Search pilot in selected U.S. schools later in November. The Guided Learning tool uses questions and step-by-step explanations to coach students through problems.
In Classroom, teachers assign activities anchored in class materials and receive information about where students need support. In Search, Guided Learning is designed to recognize certain homework questions and prompt students to work through the concepts, Google said.
Markey’s letter asked Google whether providing Search without generative AI is technically feasible and, if so, why schools cannot select that option. He requested Google research on the safety, mental health, and learning effects of its AI tools on K-12 students, including children younger than 13.
