Google turns off Gemini for K-12 students unless schools choose to switch it on

What you could do with it

• A school administrator could turn on or off Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and other AI tools for their K-12 student accounts ¹.
• A teacher using Guided Learning could have students work through physics problems step by step in Google Classroom instead of receiving direct answers ¹.
• A school that wants no AI in its students' digital lives could turn off Google Search entirely ¹.

A change of course

Google announced on Tuesday that it will no longer enable its main AI tools for K-12 student accounts automatically. Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search will all stay switched off until a school administrator actively enables each one ¹. The company said it will share more details and timing with schools in the coming months .

The reversal comes after Google had earlier turned Gemini on for every student by default, a move that caught many school districts off guard ¹. Large US districts including New York and Los Angeles have since moved to restrict how students use AI, according to Chalkbeat .

Guided Learning goes global

At the same time, Google is expanding Guided Learning, a new mode designed to help students work through problems rather than simply receive answers. Instead of typing in a question and getting a solution, a student who pastes in a physics problem will see prompts guiding them step by step ¹. The mode is now available worldwide in Google Classroom, where teachers assign work and can read their students' chats . Later this month, Google will begin testing Guided Learning in Search at some US schools .

Schools can take it further

Not every school will want any AI at all. For districts that prefer to keep artificial intelligence out of their students' digital lives entirely, Google's education chief Chris Phillips told Chalkbeat that the only option is to switch off Search completely ¹. "If a school is not comfortable with that and simply wants AI off, then they have the choice to not have Search on at all," he said .

That reflects concerns already raised about AI in Search. In July, Common Sense Media called Google's AI-powered Search results an "unacceptable risk" to students ¹. This guidance fits into a wider trend of rapid changes to Google's education products: back in August, the company offered US college students a free twelve-month subscription to its AI Pro plan, for instance .

As Google walks back its default-on approach for K-12, the onus now falls on individual schools and districts to decide what role AI should play in their classrooms — and whether to test the new Guided Learning mode when it arrives in Search later this month.

Key facts

• Google will keep Gemini and AI Search features off for K-12 students unless a school administrator opts in.
• Guided Learning, a step-by-step tutoring mode, is now available worldwide in Google Classroom.
• Guided Learning will be tested in Google Search at some US schools later this month.
• Schools that want no AI at all must turn off Google Search entirely, Google's education chief said.

Sources

1. Google will switch off Gemini for school students unless schools opt in — thenextweb.com