Google Draws Backlash for Tying School Search Access to AI Opt-In
Google faced swift backlash on Tuesday after announcing that schools using its K-12 software will lose access to Search unless they opt in to using its AI tools.
Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, told The New York Times that "Search and AI are deeply integrated," meaning that if a student's school does not opt in to tools like Gemini, students "will not have access to search, and they'll see a message from their school that indicates it's not available."
Even as Google made the announcement on a busy Election Day, several left-leaning politicians took time to voice their concerns.
Lawmakers Cry Extortion
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) accused Google of "extortion" in a post on X, writing that "Google is threatening schools: if you stop your students from using AI, we will cut off your access to Google Search."
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on X that Google is "more concerned with forcing Gemini into schools than enabling students to succeed."
Antitrust Concerns Renewed
Lina Khan, the former FTC chair and a staunch advocate against monopolies, also condemned the decision as anti-competitive.
"This highlights the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service," she wrote. "Multiple courts have found Google liable for violating antitrust laws, and this latest move shows it remains unchastened."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google of being a monopoly, commenting, "No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children."
Educators Worry About AI Overviews
While Search is a necessary tool for information gathering, educators worry that its built-in AI overviews could discourage students from finding answers themselves. For millions of students required to use Chromebooks and Google education tools, switching to a different search engine isn't a simple fix.
Google says it is working on a "Guided Learning" tool for student accounts in Search, designed to walk students through the process of solving a problem or finding information rather than simply handing them the answer. If a student is struggling with a math problem, for example, the feature may prompt them to refresh their memory about the rules for dividing exponents instead of spitting out a number.
In response to the backlash...
via TechCrunch AI