What to know about CPS and AI as Chicago students risk losing access to Google search

It's AI’s world and we’re just living in it.

At least that’s what the last couple of years have felt like as artificial intelligence creeps into gadgets, software, media and other aspects of our lives. Some school districts, such as New York and Los Angeles, have responded by banning AI for some students.

In Chicago Public Schools, students aren’t allowed access to popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini and other generative AI programs because of privacy and safety concerns.

But that doesn’t mean teachers and students aren’t using AI. The school district has released guidance for educators and students for the last two years on how they can adopt the technology in teaching and learning. The guidance says it prioritizes “human oversight” while promoting and encouraging “experimentation” of district-approved AI tools to enhance what students get out of the classroom.

The framework gives students examples of how to use the technology, such as creating study guides and generating images about a chapter of a book they are reading. It suggests ways teachers can use AI to get rid of “busy work” and spend more time with students.

At the same time, a growing chorus of parents want to put the brakes on the district’s embrace of AI and minimize screen time for students, citing concerns that it could be affecting their learning.

As the district continues to grapple with the fast-evolving technology it also has to deal with a new issue. Last week Google announced that next year school districts that choose to forego its AI products will lose access to Google search.

That puts CPS in a major bind and helped fuel a protest in front of Google’s West Loop office on Wednesday. Students use Google search for homework, research and other assignments. The district also relies on other Google products, such as Google Classroom, Google Drive and Google Docs. Finding alternatives would be a big undertaking.

Here are a few things to know about the district’s approach to AI.

Why are Chicago Public Schools students at risk of losing Google search?

Earlier this month Google announced updates to its suite of programs that use AI, including Google Classroom and Gemini Notebook, an AI research tool. Access will be automatically turned off for K-12 students until administrators turn them on.

But Chris Phillips, vice president of education at Google, in an interview with the New York Times, said that schools that ban AI entirely “will not have access to search” because “search and AI are deeply engrained.”

The district has “not yet determined its response to Google's announced search engine restriction,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement.

CPS is “actively exploring all options to independently suppress” the AI mode amid those constraints, the statement said. “The District would like to continue to provide students with access to the Google search engine without the AI component. If such an arrangement can’t be reached, the District will look to other search solutions.”

In a statement, a Google spokesperson said the company is updating its AI search features for classrooms so it gives step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems instead of just “quick answers.” The statement didn’t address the protest or answer questions about cutting off search.

New York and LA, which enacted strict restrictions on AI use in schools, are in the same boat as Chicago. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said “no corporation should have the power to dictate how we teach our children.”

Google is by far the dominant provider of education technology for U.S. schools. In addition to its suite of programs, CPS also invested in Google Chromebooks which are now heavily integrated with Gemini, Google’s AI assistant

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

What do we mean when we talk about AI?

In general, whenever someone discusses AI in schools they are referring to Generative AI, a subset of artificial intelligence that generates new content such as text, audio, code, images or video. These outputs are based on data that is typically derived from the internet.

Users input specific requests via text prompts to generate the content. This usually takes the form of a chatbot. Popular programs include Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini.

What is CPS’ AI policy?

The district doesn’t have a binding policy on the use of the technology within CPS. Instead, the district has released guidelines for educator use in their classrooms. CPS has said it chose to first develop guidance rather than policy because that gave it the flexibility to adapt to the fast-evolving nature of the technology.

The district released its first version in 2024, around the time AI chatbots were becoming more widely used. It was among the first districts in the state to release guidance. The guidelines have been updated several times but the core principles have remained the same.

They aim to ensure that “AI augments, rather than replaces, the essential role of educators.” The district has an online database of approved AI tools. Teachers that use the tools are also responsible for monitoring how students are using them.

That means that staff have to review any results from an AI tool for accuracy or biases. The guidelines also advise staff to only enter confidential information — such as student records and any identifying information — into AI tools that have privacy agreements with the district.

This year the district released a “GenAI Playbook” that provides examples of how teachers can use the technology. It recommends teachers think about “busy work” that AI can help with so they have more time with students. It suggests teachers use AI to help draft progress reports, incident logs or put together meeting minutes.

The playbook also includes ways teachers can integrate approved AI tools in their lessons. For example, teachers can use AI to create an interactive podcast version of a textbook chapter and have students chime in.

How are students using AI in the classroom? 

That can depend on the school, the teachers, parents and the tools themselves. Currently students do not have direct access to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Google’s Gemini. The district blocks access to those tools on student accounts.

“With the exception of Google Search's default AI Mode, which the District is actively working to suppress, CPS does not provide students with access to generative AI applications in order to safeguard student privacy and safety,” a district spokesman said in a statement.

Parents can also opt their children out of having access to AI tools. Many tools also restrict access for younger students. ChatGPT and Perplexity don’t allow anyone under 13, for example.

According to the CPS guidelines, students first must get permission from their teacher before using AI tools for academic work and identify any AI-generated content in their assignments. The district reserves the right to take away access to these tools from students who use them irresponsibly.

The recent AI playbook suggests AI can help with brainstorming, generating timelines and tasks for group projects as well as overcoming writer’s block.

Students may also use AI to create videos, music and digital media with AI to compliment their learning. One example is for students to use a district-approved tool to create an image based on a chapter of a book they are reading.

The implementation of this guidance can vary depending on how comfortable teachers are with the technology. Some teachers may welcome the tools, while others may be more reluctant.

But the guidance doesn’t prevent students from interacting with AI at home. The district’s guidebook acknowledges that, and asks teachers to consider showing students how to responsibly interact with the technology.

Why are some parents asking for a moratorium on AI at CPS?

Google’s announcement also prompted swift backlash from groups that want CPS to enact a 3-year moratorium on AI use in schools and are seeking to limit screen time in classrooms.

Illinois Families for Public Schools and the local chapter of Schools Beyond Screens held a protest outside Google’s West Loop office on Wednesday. They are also calling on CPS to develop a more clear and consistent policy on AI and for the district to limit screen time in all grades.

Kimberly Tobin, parent of two young children at Burroughs Elementary, said Google’s announcement felt “like an ultimatum” for school districts.

“It's more influence than I would like tech companies to have over the types of products that are put in front of our kids,” she said.

Tobin said research indicates that increased screen time and unrestricted use of AI can affect student’s grades and keep them from developing skills.

“There's a pretty significant risk of fragmented attention when kids are doing most of their work on a screen,” Tobin said.

She and Schools Beyond Screens want CPS to look at how technology use impacts learning and develop a clear policy so that AI use doesn’t vary from school to school.

She noted that while the district restricts use of ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude from students, some of the approved education programs, such as reading assistant Amira, use AI.

“It's not like we don't want them to have access to any kind of technology, but we want it to be for a purpose,” Tobin said.