Google Won’t Give Schools the One Thing They Want
The Atlantic · Will Oremus ·
The tech giant is making districts choose between AI and search.
The tech giant is making districts choose between AI and search.
Over the past few years, Google’s low-priced laptops have become an AI Trojan horse in America’s schools. Students can use a school-issued Chromebook to automate much of their homework. Fire up the Gemini app, and Google’s chatbot will spit out a full essay about the meaning of The Giver. Type an algebra question into the Google search box, and an “AI Overview” will solve it for you. Ask a follow-up question, and the search box might give way to “AI Mode,” which turns the search engine into a full-on chatbot.
Districts across the country give each student their own device, which typically comes equipped with a Google account and a suite of the company’s software. Over the past year, some of the country’s largest public-school districts, including Los Angeles and New York City, have passed policies limiting students’ screen time and banning generative-AI tools. But they hit an obstacle: Google didn’t offer schools a way to fully opt out of AI.
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