Google said on Tuesday it is changing how artificial intelligence works for K-12 students on its education products, including making Gemini, related Gemini tools and Google Search off by default until a school administrator turns them on³.

The New York Times reported that schools that block AI entirely will lose student access to Google Search, a framing Techmeme also highlighted^1,2.

In a company blog post, Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, described the change as giving administrators control over Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Search rather than as a cutoff imposed on districts³.

Chalkbeat quoted Phillips saying that if a school wants AI off, it has the choice not to have Search on at all⁴.

Google said it is adding Guided Learning to Search for student accounts so homework-style queries get step-by-step coaching instead of a finished answer, starting with a pilot in select U.S. schools later this month³.

Guided Learning is available globally in Google Classroom as of Tuesday, Google said, and is meant to keep students on assigned material while giving teachers insight into where a class is stuck³.

Chalkbeat reported that Gemini is already available to many U.S. students on school laptops and that the company is responding to criticism that chatbots complete assignments⁴.

Google's blog did not describe how many districts currently block AI or Search, or when every school must choose³.