Google Tells Schools: Ban AI, Lose Search

K-12 schools that ban AI tools are discovering they also lose Google Search — because Google has decided the two can't be separated. The company now turns off AI features in its school products unless administrators actively opt in, and since AI is baked so deeply into search, switching it off switches search off too, The New York Times reports. The practical effect is an ultimatum: accept Google's AI, or students lose the world's largest search engine.

Critics read the move as leverage, not logistics. The policy feels like a way "to force AI on us all," Morgan Polikoff, an education professor at the University of Southern California, told the Times. Former FTC chair Lina Khan put it sharper: "Google is making clear it will punish those who don't fall in line." Big Tech has billions riding on the next generation adopting AI, which gives the company a clear incentive to make refusal expensive. The takeaway: schools negotiating AI policies now face a platform gatekeeper, not just a vendor.

Why is Reddit suddenly selling search ads?

Less than a week after announcing its shift to login-only viewing, Reddit said in a Tuesday blog post that it's testing ad placements directly on its own search pages. The algorithm will prioritize contextual relevance — "A search for 'espresso station' could surface ads for espresso machines, coffee beans, or mugs," the post reads.

The timing isn't accidental. Reddit admitted on its Q3 earnings call last week that search traffic dropped precipitously in October, because Google is sending fewer users its way. That squeeze comes even as Google keeps relying on Reddit's content for AI scraping and training. Building an internal search engine is Reddit's hedge against that dependence.

The ad business gives it room to move. Reddit's ad revenue has grown fast enough to top a $3 billion annual run rate for the first time this year. And once logins become mandatory, users may skip Google entirely and search inside Reddit instead of typing "espresso station reddit." There's even a possible upside for Redditors who hate ads: if marketers can buy search inventory legitimately, they may spend less energy astroturfing subreddits. In plain words, Reddit is turning a Google traffic problem into its own ad marketplace.

What do Versant's numbers say about cable's spin-offs?

Versant Media Group — the portfolio of networks Comcast spun off in January — reported third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, and the picture is mixed. Revenue fell 4% year over year to $1.59 billion, which the company attributes to broad pay TV decline.

The growth signals sit elsewhere. Platform revenue, covering nonlinear sources like direct-to-consumer and streaming, rose 10% year over year. Versant also locked in distribution deals last quarter that secure 75% of network subscribers under contract heading into 2028. And it closed its acquisition of Full Swing, stacking onto the golf portfolio inherited from Comcast — Golf Channel and GolfNow — as it tries to claim live golf as its differentiator in the sports rights race. The takeaway: linear is shrinking on schedule, but Versant has contracted revenue and a sports niche to stand on.

What else changed this week?

• Apple tightened App Store policies, restricting dating apps and AI companions to users 18 and up. [TechCrunch]
• Shopify app extensions have used subtle checkout-page redirects to trick people into handing over payment and personal info. [Adweek]
• Meta is planning a terms-of-service change that would opt any site posting on its platform into AI scraping — publishers describe feeling "hostage" to it. [Digiday]
• Netflix is launching AI Discover, a new interface for more targeted content recommendations. [THR]
• Disney plans to cut thousands of jobs, setting managers a 20% reduction target — its fourth layoff round this year. [Bloomberg]

Watch whether Google's school ultimatum draws regulatory attention, because Khan's framing suggests antitrust watchers are already reading it as coercion.