Search Access: NYC Council Presses Google Over AI Mandate
Lawmakers question whether students can use basic search tools without generative AI features under new company policies.
By Nia Foster ·
1.3 million Chromebooks currently power the New York City public school system, a figure cited by local lawmakers to emphasize the scale of dependence on Google technology.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Shekar Krishnan sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday. The document asks if the company will provide a version of its search engine that excludes AI-generated summaries, chatbots, and other generative tools for student accounts. The lawmakers requested a written reply by Nov. 19.
The inquiry follows a Nov. 3 announcement by Google that it would disable Search and several AI products by default for K-12 students until administrators explicitly enable them. This change is set to begin early next year. While Google states that schools can turn on services individually, the company indicates that Search and AI features are deeply integrated.
Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president for education, told The New York Times earlier this month that prohibiting AI entirely would likely cut off access to Google Search through school-managed accounts. This stance conflicts with a policy adopted by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in September, which placed a one-year moratorium on most student-facing generative AI for grades 2 through 8. The restriction affects nearly 600,000 students.
Mamdani accused the tech giant of leveraging monopoly power to influence public education. "No corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children," the mayor wrote on social media. Parents and education advocates held a rally outside Google’s Manhattan headquarters on Wednesday. Similar demonstrations occurred in six other cities across the United States.
The Department of Education has already turned off the Gemini chatbot and AI Mode on student-issued devices. The agency has also asked Google to remove AI Overviews that appear in standard search results. Menin and Krishnan questioned why the company does not offer an AI-free search option, noting that Google already develops child-focused products like YouTube Kids.
The Council members also requested information on student data collection and safeguards against AI misinformation. Google has described its changes as a response to feedback from schools and parents, aiming to give educators more control. Phillips stated that the company is testing Guided Learning technology within Search at select U.S. schools this month. A representative for Google did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
