Cutting corners: Google executives appear hell-bent on their effort to turn AI into a real business opportunity, even if the effort ends up undermining the company's revenue streams. This latest move looks like an attempt to push Gemini use among students and educational staff, potentially at the expense of rivals such as ChatGPT, which arguably have more mindshare and mainstream adoption at the moment.
According to Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager for education, K-12 schools will soon have to fully embrace the company's AI services or lose student access to its web search engine.
Under the new policy, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search will be turned off by default for K-12 student accounts until administrators enable them. The change could strain Google's relationship with the education sector, but Mountain View says there is no alternative.
Phillips argues that Search and AI are now deeply integrated services. If a school chooses to ban AI entirely, its students will lose access to Search as well. Instead of results, they will see a message from their school stating that the services are not available.
The move looks like an effort to push Gemini use among students and educational staff, potentially at the expense of rivals such as ChatGPT, which arguably have more mindshare and mainstream adoption at the moment.
Classroom is a free learning tool designed to provide a tailored experience to educational institutions. The service brings Gmail, Drive, Docs, and several other Google services together in a single platform, and is already used by more than 150 million students, teachers, and education professionals worldwide.
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