Google will switch AI off by default for school students — and Search goes with it

Google announced on 3 November 2026 new controls for AI in schools, along with a homework-help mode called Guided Learning.

The new controls

In a blog post, education VP Chris Phillips said access to Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn it on. Google will share details with schools in the coming months before the change rolls out.

The catch, as Ars Technica and The Verge pointed out: Search is in the same bundle. Schools cannot pick and choose. Phillips told The New York Times that “Search and AI are deeply integrated”, and that students at schools that do not enable AI will not have access to search and will see a message from their school.

Guided Learning

• Google Classroom: Guided Learning is available globally from 3 November. It works as a one-on-one study tool anchored in class material and gives teachers real-time insights.
• Google Search: for student accounts, Search will walk students through certain homework problems step by step instead of giving the final answer. A pilot in select US schools starts later in November.

Google says its research shows Guided Learning produces measurable learning gains. Ars Technica noted that Google itself warns its generative AI tools can make mistakes, and that schools wanting search without AI would have to look at alternatives.