Google brings Gemini AI to students of all ages through Classroom

Google has enabled its Gemini chatbot for students ranging from elementary to high school using its Classroom app for schools, intensifying a competition among US technology firms to integrate their AI tools in educational settings. Google Classroom, a platform for assigning and submitting assignments, is utilized by over 150 million students and teachers globally.

Previously, Gemini was only automatically turned on for users 18 and older within Classroom. However, a new Gemini tab within the platform now allows AI assistance for math problems, writing assignments, and generating study aids like study guides, quizzes, and flashcards, as well as producing images. Google stated it introduced Gemini to Classroom to enable students to seek AI help regarding specific course materials and assignments provided by their educators.

The AI enhancements in Classroom will impact schools that permit student access to Google's Gemini app or Google Notebook, another product. School administrators can choose to enable or disable Gemini access for all students or specific groups, such as younger grades. However, district administrators complained that Google made numerous adjustments to its AI offerings, making it challenging for them to keep track of what was enabled or disabled.

Derek Moore, the Chief Technology Officer for the Palo Alto Unified School District in California, expressed that they only learned about the changes recently. Google's push to increase student access to its AI tools escalates a longstanding rivalry among tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft to secure schools as long-term customers.

Startups like Anthropic and OpenAI, newcomers to the school tech market, have launched programs for K-12 teachers, but so far, they have not made their ChatGPT and Claude chatbots available for student use in US public schools. The industry is advocating for classroom chatbots as parents' groups in cities like New York and Los Angeles urge schools to temporarily halt rollouts of student AI products, citing potential risks to children's safety, privacy, and critical thinking.

Google's AI changes highlight the ongoing power dynamic between tech giants and US public education. Companies frequently turn on new education product features for students, often requiring administrators to opt out instead of choosing to enable them. District leaders have urged tech companies to allow schools to review significant AI changes before implementation.

Google plans to introduce another new feature for students under 18 using school Google accounts as part of its Search services this fall. This feature, called the Search Personalized Recommendations Control, customizes search suggestions based on students' Google account data, including past search queries and location data.