Google’s Search will be disabled for students across the country, including North Platte, if schools block the use of its AI features in 2027, the company announced Nov. 2.
The search engine’s function will no longer be able to be separated from its AI capabilities. Students would not be able to search Google during research without turning on the AI training function.
Virtually every student and teacher in the North Platte school district uses Google’s Chromebook laptop. So do 93% of schools nationwide, The Hill news service reported.
Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told the New York Times that search and AI could no longer be separated, News Nation reported.
Google said the changes will affect its Gemini products and search.
“Access to these products will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on,” a Google update said.
The requirement initially appeared to fit with the North Platte school district’s policy on the use of AI, spokesman Brandon Peterson said after talking with the district’s IT department.
Yet, the district’s policy says, “Students may not use AI tools on any assignment, test, or project unless the staff member has given express permission for the student to do so.”
Peterson added that, “with how much this technology changes, and as fast as it does, we are actively monitoring potential impacts. We also have provided staff training opportunities for best practices with instruction during our last district professional development day.”
Peterson said it appears the requirement would be effective in January.
The announcement reportedly sparked protests in seven major cities.
Many Chicago families showed up to protest Google, despite cold, rainy weather dozens of protesters marched up to Google’s downtown office as workers seemed to be leaving for the day, shouting chants like “Hey Google, nice try, we don’t want your Gemini” and a line from a Pink Floyd song, “Hey, Google, leave our kids alone!”
“Google is trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children.”
Education leaders say a fight against the requirement would be a big undertaking, but some districts may be up to the challenge, especially as public outcry after the announcement grows, News Nation reported.
Districts don’t have much time for districts to make decisions about switching to other search engines. Schools with Chromebooks apparently would have to acquire different computers.
