Markey presses Google to let schools use search without AI
Sen. Ed Markey urged Google CEO Sundar Pichai on November 9 to change a policy that ties schools’ access to Google Search to their use of the company’s AI features. Markey said schools should be able to decide whether those tools are appropriate for students without giving up the search engine.
Google has said AI features such as AI Overview and AI Mode are built too deeply into Search for schools to turn them off while continuing to use it. AI Overview produces summaries, while AI Mode works more like a chatbot. Google has also announced Guided Learning, a student-focused chat feature designed to help pupils work through school questions rather than simply supply answers.
Markey called the arrangement an ultimatum that would pressure schools to adopt generative AI. He asked whether Google could provide school-account users under 18 with search results that contain no AI-generated responses or guidance, and whether the company would make that change. He also requested the number of schools that chose not to use AI features.
The senator sought Google’s research on the safety and educational effects of its Search AI tools, including potential mental health effects on children under 13. He set a deadline of the end of November for the company to provide research it had conducted. Google has said its announced changes will give schools greater control over student access to AI, including plans to turn off AI features previously enabled in Classroom for some K-12 students.
Google’s Search policy leaves schools facing an AI ultimatum
Google’s policy puts schools in an untenable position: accept AI features in Search or lose access to the search engine, Sen. Ed Markey said in a November 9 letter to CEO Sundar Pichai. The Massachusetts Democrat is demanding that Google let schools make their own decisions about student safety and learning without sacrificing a basic digital tool.
Google says it has embedded AI Overview and AI Mode so extensively in Search that schools cannot switch them off separately. AI Overview generates summaries, while AI Mode offers a chatbot-style experience. Google has also introduced Guided Learning, designed to guide students through schoolwork rather than hand them answers.
Markey called Google’s approach an ultimatum that effectively forces schools to enable generative AI. He asked whether the company could provide school-account users under 18 with search results free of AI-generated responses and whether it would let schools disable the features while keeping Search. He also requested the number of schools that have opted out of AI tools.
The senator wants Google’s research on AI’s safety and educational effects, including potential mental health effects for children under 13. He asked the company to provide research it has conducted by the end of November. Google has said its changes will give schools greater control over student AI access, and plans to switch off AI features previously turned on in Classroom for some K-12 students.
Schools need control over AI, not a forced choice on Search
Schools should decide how AI fits into student learning, rather than have that choice dictated by the way a technology company builds its products. That is the issue Sen. Ed Markey put to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on November 9, asking the company to separate AI features from schools’ access to Search.
Google says AI Overview and AI Mode are deeply integrated into Search, making it impossible for schools to turn them off and keep using the engine. The company has also rolled out Guided Learning, a chat feature intended to help students reason through schoolwork. Google says its planned changes will give schools more control over student access to AI.
Markey argues that the policy pressures schools to accept generative AI. His letter asks whether Google can provide school-account users under 18 with search results that do not include AI-generated responses or guidance, and whether the company is willing to let schools disable the features without losing Search. He also asked how many schools have opted out.
The senator requested research on the tools’ safety and effects on learning, including possible mental health effects on children under 13, with material due by the end of November. Massachusetts has issued statewide guidance on AI in schools while leaving many decisions to local districts, underscoring the role of school-level choices in this debate.
Reported by The Boston Globe, Boston.com.
