U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts asked Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to let schools disable Google’s AI features without losing Google Search, Boston.com and CBS News reported, citing a letter dated Monday^1,2.

Boston.com said Google announced on Nov. 3 that educators would have to enable AI features and that schools opting out would also lose Search¹.

CBS News said Markey argued Google should not use its position in education technology to require AI by restricting Search, and that about 150 million students and teachers use Google Classroom².

Markey asked whether Google would keep Search available if AI and chatbots were turned off for K-12 accounts, and asked for research on mental-health effects of those tools on students, both outlets reported^1,2.

An Alphabet spokesperson told CBS News that AI features are now so tightly integrated into Search that the company cannot offer Search without also enabling AI services².

CBS News said Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter².

Boston.com noted a lawsuit by parents of a 13-year-old who allegedly used a Google chatbot on a school Chromebook during a mental-health crisis; CBS News did not lead with that case^1,2.

CBS News also reported New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the policy in a social-media statement².