Parents and teachers protest Google’s AI push in US schools

Parents, teachers and education advocates have protested outside Google's Cambridge office in Massachusetts, opposing the company's plans to expand artificial intelligence (AI) in schools and questioning whether educational institutions will retain control over how the technology is used in classrooms.

The recent demonstration followed Google's November 3 announcement of changes to its educational products, including a pilot of its AI-powered Guided Learning feature in Google Search. The feature is designed to help students work through problems step by step rather than simply provide answers. However, concerns have emerged over the possibility that schools opting out of the AI feature could also lose access to conventional Google Search. The prospect has angered educators who argue that schools should not have to adopt AI-powered tools to retain access to essential digital services. "Many parents and education workers want to be free from AI in the classroom, and Google is using its monopoly status to say, 'If you don't use our AI, you don't get to use our search engine,'" said Matt Bach, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

The protest brought together parents, teachers and advocacy groups, including Distraction-Free Schools Massachusetts, Fairplay and the Massachusetts AI Action Network. Several families attended with their school-aged children. For many parents, the concerns extend beyond Google's latest product changes to a broader debate over the growing presence of digital technology in children's education.

Reena Shah, a parent from Needham, said reducing children's exposure to technology and AI could help strengthen their learning, memory and attention spans. The protesters stressed that their opposition was not directed at teaching children computer skills but at making technology an unavoidable part of everyday classroom activities. "It's not that kids shouldn't learn what computing is or how to use computers in some way," said Ian Halbert, a parent from Sudbury. "It does not need to be involved in every element of the school day." Student privacy and online safety were also central to the concerns raised by educators, who questioned how technology companies collect, handle and use children's information.

"We shouldn't have to guess and wonder, 'Well, I don't know, if my student is in school and using these technologies, where is the data going?'" said Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. Tang, who is also a Boston Public Schools parent, said questions remained about the implications of Google's changes after she attended a school district webinar on Tuesday night. Google, in a statement to NBC10 Boston, did not directly clarify whether schools would be able to retain access to traditional Google Search while disabling its AI-powered features.

A company spokesperson said Google was developing the new experiences in partnership with educators and listening to their feedback to ensure its products supported students and teachers.

Meanwhile, AFT Massachusetts is pressing for statewide safeguards governing the use of technology in schools, arguing that stronger protections are needed before educational institutions enter into further agreements with major technology companies. The protest highlights a growing debate over the role of AI in education, with families and teachers demanding that innovation should not come at the cost of student privacy, independent learning and meaningful classroom engagement.