CHICAGO—Families joined protests in seven cities nationwide on Wednesday, rallying against what they see as Google’s bid to entrench its AI models in schools, turn kids of all ages into Gemini guinea pigs, and hook them on AI.
The backlash follows a Google statement last week, confirming that there will be no way for students to use Google Search without AI. While Google claimed it was giving schools “more choice, not less”—by turning off Search, Gemini, and Gemini Notebook by default—it would not provide an option that allowed Search without AI. For students, the only way to avoid interacting with AI was to remember to add “-ai” to every query, parents worried.
In Chicago, many families showed up to protest Google, despite cold, rainy weather. Waving signs, dozens of protesters marched up to Google’s downtown office as workers seemed to be leaving for the day, shouting chants like “Hey Google, nice try, we don’t want your Gemini” and “Hey, Google, leave our kids alone!”
Called to action by a nonprofit grassroots advocacy group, the Illinois Families for Public Schools (ILFPS), some parents and students had previously won a major AI fight. In August, the group pressured Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to pull out of a Gemini pilot that would have roped in all high school students districtwide—without consulting parents. And now, ILFPS is demanding a moratorium on AI until risks to students are better understood and CPS can draft a policy to protect students from potential learning setbacks or more harmful outcomes from engaging Google’s AI bots. If the group wins, it will join cities like Los Angeles and New York City in cautiously banning AI in schools.
