Google: Schools can keep search while skipping Gemini, but AI search is non-negotiable

Google faced the ire of educators and parents earlier this week when it announced a new AI policy for K–12 schools. Google said that it developed its new approach to give schools more control, but early reporting also suggested Google would block search access for schools that didn’t want to use AI.

本周早些时候，谷歌宣布了一项针对 K-12 学校的新人工智能政策，引发了教育工作者和家长的愤怒。谷歌表示，其开发这一新方案是为了给予学校更多的控制权，但早期的报道也暗示，如果学校不愿使用人工智能，谷歌将封锁其搜索访问权限。

Google didn’t see the backlash coming, but now that it’s here, the search giant is clarifying what exactly its new policy means and what’s changing. The gist of the new policy, according to Google’s blog post, is that schools using Google apps will have to opt into its AI products going forward. Since the company considers search part of its AI portfolio (Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search), schools have to specifically turn that on for logged-in student accounts.

谷歌并未预见到这种强烈抵制，但既然事已至此，这家搜索巨头正在澄清其新政策的具体含义及变化。根据谷歌的博客文章，新政策的核心在于，未来使用谷歌应用程序的学校必须选择加入其人工智能产品。由于该公司将搜索视为其人工智能产品组合（Gemini、Gemini Notebook、Gemini in Classroom 和搜索）的一部分，学校必须专门为已登录的学生账户开启该功能。

When Google revealed its new policy, the company’s VP for education spoke exclusively to The New York Times, which interpreted the situation as Google will “turn off search” if schools reject AI. This has a nefarious vibe, but it’s probably not the most accurate way to describe how Google’s educational AI system will operate. Google’s approach may not be entirely altruistic, but it technically offers schools more choice and control than they have now.

当谷歌公布其新政策时，该公司负责教育的副总裁接受了《纽约时报》的独家采访，该报将此情况解读为：如果学校拒绝人工智能，谷歌将“关闭搜索”。这听起来有些居心叵测，但这可能并不是描述谷歌教育人工智能系统运作方式的最准确说法。谷歌的做法或许并非完全出于利他主义，但从技术上讲，它确实为学校提供了比现在更多的选择和控制权。

Instead of Google turning off search, it will let schools make that decision based on their internal AI policies. The company clarified in a tweet that it will allow schools to disable Gemini apps while leaving search active for students. If they don’t want any AI, they can leave it all off. Essentially, Google is giving schools that want to completely block AI the ability to go all the way, even removing search from student accounts.

谷歌并非要关闭搜索，而是让学校根据其内部的人工智能政策自行决定。该公司在推特上澄清称，将允许学校在禁用 Gemini 应用程序的同时，保持学生的搜索功能处于活跃状态。如果学校不想要任何人工智能，也可以将其全部关闭。本质上，谷歌赋予了那些想要彻底屏蔽人工智能的学校完全执行的权力，甚至可以从学生账户中移除搜索功能。

A Google spokesperson tells Ars that the company has not made any changes to the new policy it announced this week. However, the vagueness of Google’s blog post and public statements didn’t fully explain what it plans to do. There are still reasons to dislike Google’s approach, but here’s how the company explains the process for schools: As things currently stand, schools can block the Gemini app, but the AI tools in search (AI Overviews and AI Mode) are still present and offer many of the same intellectual shortcuts.

一位谷歌发言人告诉 Ars，该公司并未对其本周宣布的新政策做出任何更改。然而，谷歌博客文章和公开声明的模糊性并没有完全解释其计划。人们仍然有理由不喜欢谷歌的做法，但该公司对学校的解释流程如下：就目前情况而言，学校可以屏蔽 Gemini 应用程序，但搜索中的人工智能工具（AI Overviews 和 AI Mode）仍然存在，并提供许多相同的知识捷径。

When schools choose which AI features to use under this new system, search will be one of the options. Schools can leave search off if they want, but opting in will require them to choose the standard AI features or the new Guided Learning version, which won’t give away answers as readily (or so Google claims).

当学校在此新系统下选择使用哪些人工智能功能时，搜索将是选项之一。学校如果愿意，可以关闭搜索，但如果选择加入，则需要选择标准人工智能功能或新的“引导式学习”（Guided Learning）版本，后者不会那么轻易地给出答案（至少谷歌是这么声称的）。

Can’t get away from AI: Schools are gaining the ability to block Google’s AI tools, even those in search, while keeping other Google apps. Notably, the company’s new approach to “responsible AI for learning” does not include the ability to use search without AI. So schools get more control, even if they don’t get the AI-free search everyone seems to want.

无法摆脱人工智能：学校获得了屏蔽谷歌人工智能工具（甚至是搜索中的工具）的能力，同时保留其他谷歌应用程序。值得注意的是，该公司针对“负责任的学习人工智能”的新方案并不包括使用无人工智能搜索的功能。因此，学校获得了更多的控制权，尽管他们并没有得到每个人似乎都想要的无人工智能搜索。

Many will argue that Google should let schools access web search without chatbots. However, that’s just not something Google wants to support at any level because it sees AI as the future of search. While other search engines have settings to turn off AI tools, Google steadfastly refuses to create such a toggle (and those no-AI tricks you rely on may not work forever).

许多人会认为，谷歌应该允许学校在没有聊天机器人的情况下访问网络搜索。然而，这根本不是谷歌想要在任何层面支持的事情，因为它将人工智能视为搜索的未来。虽然其他搜索引擎有关闭人工智能工具的设置，但谷歌坚决拒绝创建这样的开关（而且你所依赖的那些“无人工智能”技巧可能不会永远有效）。

Ultimately, this is the core problem not just for education customers, but for everyone who wants to limit their exposure to AI while using Google. This clarification does not change the calculus for educators who want to allow students to search the Internet without AI tools. Google won’t offer that, and switching to another provider is easier said than done.

归根结底，这不仅是教育客户的核心问题，也是所有希望在使用谷歌时限制接触人工智能的人所面临的问题。这一澄清并没有改变那些希望允许学生在没有人工智能工具的情况下搜索互联网的教育工作者的考量。谷歌不会提供这种服务，而转向其他提供商说起来容易做起来难。

Google still has by far the most expansive index of the Internet, leaving alternatives with numerous gaps. That may change in the near future, though. As a result of Google’s loss in the DOJ’s search antitrust case, it will have to provide competitors limited access to its index of the web. This could give other provides a chance to improve and offer a more viable alternative to Google.

谷歌仍然拥有迄今为止最广泛的互联网索引，使得替代方案存在诸多缺口。不过，这种情况在不久的将来可能会改变。由于谷歌在司法部的搜索反垄断案中败诉，它将不得不向竞争对手提供对其网络索引的有限访问权限。这可能会给其他提供商提供改进机会，并提供比谷歌更可行的替代方案。