Google recently announced that Gemini and NotebookLM will be enabled by default for all users.
For many teachers and school admins, this is a little unsettling. The good news is that you have complete control over who can access these generative AI features including Gemini and NotebookLM.
Having a well-organized domain makes it easy to apply policies to specific users, like students, staff, administrators, etc. Check out this video for tips on how to set up your OUs the “right way!”
Here’s a look at the key policies that determine who has access to AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM.
💡 Not happy with your admin console setup? It might be time for a Google Admin Audit!
AI policies in the admin console
To get started, find the “generative AI” section in the main menu of the admin console.
Gemini App
This is the main Gemini experience found at gemini.google.com. I recommend that you DISABLE Gemini by default and ENABLE it for the specific OUs that need to have access (i.e. staff and high school students).
In addition to the main on/off switch, there are a few additional policies to configure:
- User access settings – this page is absurdly confusing. I had to engage Google support to figure things out and even they struggled to explain it. I have decided to uncheck the box so that “users can access the Gemini app only with a license that provides access under the Google Workspace or Workspace for Education terms…” Feel free to change my mind. 🤷
- Apps – this policy allows Gemini to communicate with various Google services like Gmail, YouTube and maps. I recommend that you DISABLE this policy by default and ENABLE it for faculty and staff.
- Gemini Conversation History – this page determines if conversation history is on/off and how long conversations are retained. This policy impacts the ability for a user to go back to a previous conversation AND your ability to view conversation history through Google Vault. I recommend that you set this policy to save history for 18 months. If conversation history is OFF, you won’t be able to view Gemini history through Vault.
Gemini for Workspace
This section controls the ability to use Gemini inside of Google services like Classroom, Gmail, and Drive. Most of you will only see the option to use Gemini inside of Google Classroom. All other integrations require a premium Gemini subscription.
I recommend that you DISABLE the Google Classroom integration by default and ENABLE it for your instructional staff. This feature set is designed for teachers and won’t be useful for students and can conflict with your primary Gemini policies.
If you have any premium Gemini licenses ($20/user/month) you will see additional configurations for using Gemini inside of Gmail, Drive, Meet, etc. You’re paying for it, so you may as well turn them all on!
NotebookLM Access settings
NotebookLM is a separate service from Gemini. There aren’t any internal controls, just a general on/off switch. I recommend that you DISABLE NotbookLM by default and ENABLE it for the specific OUs that need access (i.e. Teachers, MS students, etc).
My Gemini policies for Staff/students
The goal of this blog is to provide you with accurate information so that you can make informed decisions about admin console policies. It’s also nice to sometimes see how other schools are configuring things. With the at in mind, this is how I’m configuring generative AI access for the districts I work with:
- 🟢 Staff: all generative AI features are ON
- 🔴 Elementary students: All generative AI features are OFF
- 🟡 MS students: Gemini app is OFF, NotebookLM is ON
- 🟢 HS students: Gemini app is ON, Notebook LM is ON
This isn’t necessarily the “right” way to configure things, but it will give you something to think about!
Learn more about this topic:
- Organizational units for schools (video)
- Vault adds support for auditing Gemini conversations
- Gemini Data privacy protections for EDU districts
Reader Interactions