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NYC schools’ standoff with Google over AI raises prospect of no search in class

Jessica Gould

Published Nov 6, 2026 at 10:58 a.m. ET

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Chromebooks in a classrooms.

Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Jessica Gould

Published Nov 6, 2026 at 10:58 a.m. ET

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Google is locked in a standoff with the nation’s largest public school system as the debate over AI’s place in the classroom pits parent groups against the tech behemoth.

Earlier this week, Google said schools that ban artificial intelligence will lose access to Google search, prompting cries of blackmail and a swift rebuke from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“Google is trying to use its monopoly power to force AI into our public schools,” Mamdani wrote on X. “No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children. Our public schools exist to serve students, not to grow the profit margins of Big Tech.”

In September, Mamdani announced a one-year ban on most AI programs in city schools and tighter limits on screens, especially for the youngest students. The moratorium was a major win for city parents who oppose the use of artificial intelligence in public school classrooms.

But Google’s threat to pull the plug on search in classrooms underscored how deeply the technology’s products are woven into the fabric of education.

Google products are ubiquitous in schools. Since the pandemic, many students have been issued individual Chromebooks for schoolwork and remote learning. City officials said the school system has 1.3 million Chromebooks, with about 500,000 assigned to students, and another 800,000 in schools. Teachers post assignments to Google Classroom, and students, like many adults, rely heavily on Google Docs and search.

“It would be incredibly difficult for us to disentangle our school system entirely from Google, and that's what they're betting on,” said Kelly Clancy, part of the coalition calling for a total ban on AI in the city’s public schools. She said all three of her children are required to use Google Classroom for remote learning and homework.

This is a perfect time for us to figure out how we wean ourselves off of Google so that we don't have companies able to blackmail us in order to create a captive audience of students

Kelly Clancy, who is part of a coalition calling for a total ban on AI in NYC schools.

“But I think what they're not counting on is the fact that parents across the country have mobilized against this,” Clancy said. “And this is a perfect time for us to figure out how we wean ourselves off of Google so that we don't have companies able to blackmail us in order to create a captive audience of students.”

Google has insisted it’s impossible to separate the company’s search function from AI.

Chris Phillips, vice president for education at Google, told the New York Times that “search and A.I. are deeply integrated,” so turning off AI will also mean turning off the search engine. The company said the new policy would go into effect early next year. It did not respond to Gothamist’s requests for comment.

But over the past year, an influential movement of parents, educators and lawmakers have sought to beat back the creep of artificial intelligence in schools. They argue AI summaries and bots enable cheating, short-circuit learning and seduce children into inappropriate and even dangerous relationships. This week, parents of a North Carolina 13-year-old sued Google alleging she made plans to end her life after interacting with its AI Mode.

Education officials said they were still trying to figure out how Google’s new policy would affect search in schools.

Officials are “reaching out to Google to discuss this update further,” public schools spokesperson Nicole Brownstein said.

She said the city has disabled the Gemini chatbot and AI mode on Google Chromebooks issued to students, and they’ve made requests to Google to disable the AI Overview that continues to appear in search results.

“We will keep students and school communities updated as we continue to place student safety and wellbeing above all other interests,” she said.

Following the Times report, Google posted additional information about its plans on X.

It said the announcements give schools "more choice, not less" and that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Google Search will be off by default, and schools will be in charge of which service, if any, is turned on.

The company emphasized the changes were made in response to feedback from K-12 schools. Google said it’s also changing how AI will function within search “to make it better for learning.” The company said both AI Mode and AI Overviews will offer step-by-step guidance through problems” rather than just “quick answers to schoolwork.”

Assemblymember Alex Bores noted that Google has made “deep investments” into its educational offerings over the years, aggressively and successfully marketing its suite of products to schools.

“This is a product choice that Google is making, and it's a profit maximizing one,” said Bores, who worked at Palantir and recently co-founded Who Decides, an advocacy group for AI safety and regulation.

“Competitors like Duck Duck Go let people opt in or opt out of AI search. And Google could do the same. They could also do the same only when it comes to children if they wanted. But they're making an intentional choice not to, and I think that's a disappointing one,” he said.

Anti-AI parents and educators said Google’s threat should encourage the city to cut ties with the company, and invest in other search engines instead. Naveed Hasan, a member of the Panel for Educational Policy, which votes on education contracts, said the city should consider writing limits into contracts to prevent tech companies from unilaterally changing the software the school system has already purchased without permission.

“We should revisit how we look at technology contracts when companies change their features mid contract,” he said.

Zephyr Teachout, professor at Fordham Law School, said the company’s move may also face legal challenges. “What Google is doing is illegal under antitrust law and I expect there will be investigations from the Attorney General’s office and other places soon,” she said. “It’s simply not credible to me that Google cannot provide search without AI overviews.”

Clancy saw an opening for the school system to rethink how it teaches students to do their work.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to figure out [how] to teach kids the fundamentals of research,” she said.

Maybe instead of spending so much on Google, Clancy added, the city could invest in school libraries and books.

Tagged

education

new york city

Jessica Gould

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Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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