Google turns off Gemini AI by default for K-12 students

Google will switch off its Gemini AI tools by default for K-12 student accounts, the company said on Wednesday, 4 November. Access stays closed until school administrators choose to turn it on. The change covers Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search.

Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, said the updates were built with educators. Google said the changes respond to concerns from schools that students were using AI to shortcut their schoolwork. "We know there's concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork, and schools have told us they want control," Google said in a statement.

Google also said it was rolling out Guided Learning to Search and Google Classroom. Guided Learning is designed to walk students through a problem one step at a time rather than give a quick answer. Google said the Search experience, including AI Mode and Overviews, will focus on this step-by-step approach for students.

Pressure from Washington

The move follows scrutiny from US senators. They questioned Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai about Google's AI features, which were enabled by default for students, and the risks these posed to learning.

In a clarification on X, Google's news account said the announcements gave schools more choice, not less. It said schools can turn on one or more of the three services individually.

What happens next

Google has not said when the default-off setting will take effect for every school. It has also not said whether the changes will apply to users outside the United States.