Google plans to deny Search access to schools that ban AI use
Google plans to deny students access to Search next year at K-12 schools that ban AI, Forbes reported, citing an all-or-nothing policy. Google vice president of education Chris Phillips told The New York Times those schools would lose search access. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Google of using monopoly power to force AI into public schools.
More context
Google plans to deny students access to its Search service at K-12 schools that ban AI use, a policy Forbes reports will take effect next year. In comments to The New York Times, Chris Phillips, who leads Google’s education division, said schools prohibiting AI for students and educators “will not have access to search”; students will see a message saying it is unavailable. Google said in a blog post that schools should control students’ access to AI capabilities. The policy drew criticism from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who accused Google of trying to use its “monopoly power” to force AI into public schools. New York City and Los Angeles have temporarily banned generative AI tools in elementary and middle schools while assessing their use and safety and developing policies, the Associated Press reported.
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Reporting
- Forbes — Google Will Disable Search for Schools Banning AI
- CBS News — Google to end search access for schools that block its AI tools, sparking backlash - CBS News
- Associated Press — Google faces backlash over search restrictions for K-12 students | AP News
- futurism.com — Google Announces It's Shutting Off Search Engine Access for Schools That Ban AI
Verifier’s note
Forbes, CBS News, Futurism, and AP News report Google’s policy linking school restrictions on AI to loss of Search access. The reports are dated November 3, 2026, and AP News appears to report independently; CBS News and Futurism explicitly refer to the Times account.