On Election Day, Google announced a plan that immediately drew backlash: schools using Google’s K-12 software will not be able to use Search unless they opt in to using AI tools. Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told The New York Times that Search and AI are “deeply integrated,” so if a student’s school doesn’t opt in to AI tools like Gemini, students “will not have access to search,” and they’ll see a message from their school indicating it’s unavailable.

Several politicians and former regulators criticized the move. Senator Bernie Sanders accused Google of extortion, writing that Google is threatening schools: if you stop students from using AI, we will cut off your access to Google Search. Senator Richard Blumenthal said Google is more concerned with forcing Gemini into schools than enabling students to succeed. Former FTC chair Lina Khan called the decision anti-competitive and said it highlights the danger of an unregulated monopolist controlling an essential service, noting that multiple courts have found Google liable for antitrust violations. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said no corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children. President Trump, by contrast, claimed that AI oligarchs could regulate themselves because they “love our country.”

The backlash also reflects a practical problem: millions of students are required to use Chromebooks and Google education tools, so switching to another search engine isn’t a simple fix. Educators worry that built-in AI overviews could dissuade students from finding answers themselves. Google says it’s working on a “Guided Learning” tool for student accounts in Search, designed to walk students through solving a problem or finding information rather than handing them the answer. For a struggling math student, for example, the feature might prompt them to refresh their memory about dividing exponents instead of providing the number.

In response to the criticism, Google said AI products will be off by default and schools can turn on Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search individually. A Google statement said schools have asked for more control because of concern about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork, and the changes are intended to give schools more choice, more controls, and improved Search for learning.