Law Firms Have Malpractice Insurance. Should Their A.I. Agents?

ยฉ Elias Williams for The New York Times

ยฉ Elias Williams for The New York Times

ยฉ The New York Times

ยฉ The New York Times

ยฉ Manuel Orbegozo for The New York Times



ยฉ Seth Wenig/Associated Press

ยฉ Seth Wenig/Associated Press

ยฉ Brendan McDermid/Reuters

ยฉ Brendan McDermid/Reuters

ยฉ Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Images: Eric Lee/The New York Times, Getty Images

ยฉ Tara Anand

ยฉ The New York Times

ยฉ Tara Anand
Google faced the ire of educators and parents earlier this week when it announced a new AI policy for Kโ12 schools. Google said that it developed its new approach to give schools more control, but early reporting also suggested Google would block search access for schools that didn't want to use AI. Google didn't see the backlash coming, but now that it's here, the search giant is clarifying what exactly its new policy means and what's changing.
The gist of the new policy, according to Google's blog post, is that schools using Google apps will have to opt into its AI products going forward. Since the company considers search part of its AI portfolio (Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search), schools have to specifically turn that on for logged-in student accounts.
When Google revealed its new policy, the company's VP for education spoke exclusively to The New York Times, which interpreted the situation as Google will "turn off search" if schools reject AI. This has a nefarious vibe, but it's probably not the most accurate way to describe how Google's educational AI system will operate. Google's approach may not be entirely altruistic, but it technically offers schools more choice and control than they have now. Instead of Google turning off search, it will let schools make that decision based on their internal AI policies.


ยฉ Ryan Whitwam

ยฉ Scott Ball for The New York Times

ยฉ Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times

ยฉ Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times

ยฉ Doug Mills/The New York Times