Schools that turn off Google's AI will lose search too starting in 2027

Why it matters

Google will require schools to accept AI tools for students or lose access to Google Search altogether, a policy taking effect in early 2027, as first reported by The New York Times. Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Google Search will be off by default for student accounts, and schools can enable each individually, but a search option without AI no longer exists. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, said search and AI are now too intertwined to separate. Schools enabling search must pick between full AI overviews with chat or a "Guided Learning" mode that nudges students toward answers. The context matters: Google dominates US classrooms through Chromebooks, Gmail, and Classroom, and it recently enabled AI features by default in Classroom before reversing amid backlash. Education professor Morgan Polikoff framed the move as the tech industry forcing AI on users. New York City and Los Angeles, the country's largest districts, had already restricted student AI use, with Los Angeles specifically wanting search without AI overviews, which Google will not permit.