Google announced this week that the company will throttle access to its search function unless schools opt into the platform’s artificial intelligence.
Google argued in a post on X that they hope this will give educators more choices, not less, saying they’re trying to be responsive to what they’re hearing from teachers. Many parents and educators, especially in San Francisco, want more control over when and how AI shows up in the classroom.
The San Francisco Education Alliance, a far-left parent group led by former school board candidate Brandee Marckmann, said in an Instagram post that this as a sign Google is trying to “flex” its power and “force AI into classrooms.” And even The New York Times reported that schools will be forced to embrace AI, or their students will lose access to a crucial resource.
But other local leaders suspect this might not be a huge emergency. If Google shuts off its AI functions, representatives from SFUSD point out that they may just be able to manually turn it back on, based on an X post from Google.
SFUSD declined to provide further comment on the announcement, but reiterated that they’re working on creating an official technology policy, which will go before the newly-minted board of education in March.
