The key facts

  • Google told schools that disabling AI features would also disable Google Search
  • DuckDuckGo published documentation on changing the default search engine and offered schools help
  • Google insists that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search will be off by default — schools enable them themselves

The conflict over AI in school search

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Google told schools that they may disable Gemini, but turning off the other AI features would also disable Google Search. This sparked a wave of criticism, which DuckDuckGo immediately seized on: the company published online documentation on how schools can change the default search engine to its service. Founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg referenced these instructions on X and added: 'contact us for help.' The head of public affairs was even sharper, Kamyl Bazbaz, writing that 'forcing AI on schoolchildren is how a monopolist behaves when it considers people powerless. Prove Google wrong.' In a letter to TechCrunch , DuckDuckGo added that Google could easily disable AI search features for schools if it wanted to.

Why schools depend on Google — and what the alternative offers

The stakes are high because Google has historically dominated education: according to figures it previously published, schools use about 50 million Chromebooks, and the Google Classroom platform serves more than 150 million users worldwide. The problem is that Google Search itself now actively uses AI — through AI Overviews and the conversational AI Mode that answers user queries. DuckDuckGo, for its part, is not against AI as such: it has the Duck.ai chat interface and an AI search assistant, but, unlike Google, these features can be turned off in the search and browser settings, and on the special site noai.duckduckgo.com AI answers, AI images, and hints about AI features are disabled by default. The flexibility appears to be already affecting demand: earlier this year the company reported that installs of its app grew by 30% amid user backlash against Google's AI search.

Google's position and the broader context

After the criticism, Google published a clarification saying the decision was a response to requests from schools: according to the company, Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search will be off by default, and schools will be able to enable them individually — 'this gives schools more choice, not less.' Critics, however, point out that Search remains a product with deeply embedded AI. The context is broader: as TechCrunch notes, the American public is rethinking its attitude toward AI — in Tuesday's elections, voters, among other things, voted against building AI data centers in their cities, even though the use of AI at work and in study has become common practice and calls for a more nuanced discussion. Google previously developed a tool called 'Guided Learning' that helps children work through solutions step by step rather than simply giving an answer, but educators continue to ask for tools that allow AI to be removed entirely from the learning process.