Markey urges Google to let schools turn off AI without losing Search

Senator Ed Markey has asked Google to give schools a way to keep its search engine while switching off generative AI, challenging a policy that links access to an everyday classroom research tool with acceptance of its AI features.

The Massachusetts Democrat made the request in a letter to Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai on Monday, according to Bloomberg’s reporting on the letter. He wants the company to reconsider changes announced last week for school student accounts.

Those changes would leave Google Search and several AI products disabled until school administrators choose to enable them. The dispute concerns what happens after a school switches Search back on: administrators would have to accept the AI features within it.

For parents and teachers, the question is therefore not simply whether a school can turn a Google service off. It is whether students can use conventional search without also receiving generated responses through that service.

Two different kinds of control

Google has defended its approach as giving schools more choice. In its response to criticism of the earlier announcement, the company said schools could enable Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search individually, according to CNBC’s account of Google’s explanation.

That addresses whether separate products can be switched on. It does not resolve the narrower request for Search with its generative features disabled.

Markey is asking Google to explain whether such a version is technically possible and, if not, why, according to Quartz’s account, which attributes its letter details to Bloomberg. He also seeks studies on how the company’s AI tools affect students’ academic development, mental health and safety.

Those are requests for information and a change in company policy. The letter does not create a legal requirement, establish that Google has agreed to change its products or prove that a particular tool caused harm.

What changes for schools now

Monday’s development is the senator’s intervention, not a second announcement of Google’s earlier policy. Schools should not read the letter as confirmation that an AI opt out within Search has become available.

The distinction also limits what can be concluded about classroom access. Disabling Gemini while leaving Search enabled is different from removing AI generated answers inside Search. A district’s decision about one does not necessarily describe its policy on the other.

Google’s stated aim is to put administrators in control of access to its products. Markey’s challenge is whether those controls give schools enough room to set their own boundaries for generative AI while retaining search.

The next substantive development would be Google’s answer to that request, including any explanation of technical limits or new settings for schools. Until then, the dispute remains about the choices the company offers, rather than a new government restriction on classroom technology.