Google Defends Schools AI Policy After Criticism From Sanders, Mamdani and Khan

In a blog post titled "Designing responsible AI for learning", Google said it is bringing AI into its Classroom offering through a product called Guided Learning. The Times then reported that the company would switch off search for schools that decline AI entirely.

Political Reaction

The report prompted responses on social media from left-leaning figures. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X that "Google is trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools." Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote that "Google is threatening schools" and described the policy as "extortion", according to CNBC.

Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission who pursued Google and other large technology companies, said on X that the policy highlights "the danger of allowing an unregulated monopolist to control an essential service."

Google's Response

Later in the day Google posted on X that the policy was meant to give schools more choice over how students interact with AI. It said its Gemini chatbot, Gemini Notebook and search are turned off by default, and that "schools are in control" and can switch them on as they see fit.

"We are also updating Search for schools to make it better for learning," the company wrote. "Specifically, AI Mode and AI Overviews will offer step-by-step guided learning through problems, so that students don't get quick answers to schoolwork."

The post did not explicitly respond to the claim that using search requires accepting AI, CNBC noted. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president for education, told the Times that "Search and AI are deeply integrated." A Google spokesperson referred CNBC to the X post when asked for comment.

Wider Scrutiny

The dispute adds to existing pressure on Google over its role in classrooms. CNBC reported that the nonprofit Common Sense Media recently rated Google's AI Overviews an "unacceptable risk", and that last month Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley opened an inquiry into Google's push of AI into classrooms. Google has also lost antitrust cases over its search and advertising businesses in recent years.

The controversy comes amid broader attention on how large technology companies treat young users. In August, Meta reached a $16.7 billion settlement in a child safety trial brought by state attorneys general, and the same month OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens after state attorneys general opened an investigation into its safety practices.

Why It Matters

The episode goes to a question regulators and customers are increasingly asking of dominant platforms: whether AI features can be declined without losing access to core services the platform already provides. For schools, which depend heavily on a small number of technology suppliers, the answer affects how much say they have over students' exposure to AI tools. Google's statement stresses default settings and school control, while its own education chief has said search and AI can no longer be easily separated.