Chicago schools to Google – we'd rather lose Search than be forced to accept AI

Google has told K-12 schools that students may lose access to its search engine if districts block the company’s generative AI tools, arguing that AI and Search are now closely integrated. The ultimatum followed schools’ efforts to restrict services such as Gemini, amid concerns about student use and schools’ ability to manage the tools. Chicago Public Schools, which has blocked student access to generative AI, says it is exploring ways to remove Google’s AI Overviews from search results. If it cannot offer students Search without the AI feature, the district says it will consider alternative search services. The threat has prompted protests in Chicago and Cambridge, where students, parents, and educators objected to making AI a condition of using Search.

The pushback reflects broader resistance from school systems. Frederick County’s board restricted student AI use after raising concerns about insufficient notice to families and teachers’ inability to disable the tools. New York City has imposed a temporary ban on student-facing generative AI for younger grades, while Los Angeles has blocked such tools on student devices across grades. Google says it is working to make Search more suitable for classrooms, including testing Guided Learning, which walks students through problems rather than simply supplying answers. But districts’ concerns about oversight, learning, and choice make the company’s threat likely to deepen opposition rather than persuade schools to adopt its AI.