There are a wide range of excellent AI tools that can benefit educators and students. I have shared many of these on this blog, and I routinely provide training on them for schools around the world.
One of the AI tools that has consistently improved over the last few years is Google's AI chatbot - Gemini.
Google has added so many useful features to the free version of Gemini including Deep Research, Fact Checking, Guided Learning, image generation, Gems, Canvas, Audio Overviews, Quizzes, and more.
However there is one feature that is the number one reason why Gemini should be a part of every school's AI toolbox. It may not be the most exciting or flashiest feature, but it is arguably the most important for schools and educators.
And that is data privacy.
As educators we are required to protect student data privacy and to comply with laws such as FERPA and GDPR. Well thankfully, for free, Google provides schools with built-in data privacy and protections in Gemini.
▶️ Video Overview (6 minutes)
❌ The Normal Lack of Data Privacy
So when you use any normal AI chatbot, what is the company allowed to do with the content you type in, or upload, or generate?
Well, they can do pretty much anything with it that they want to.
- People at the company can read your content.
- The company can use your content to train future versions of their AI chatbot.
- The company could sell or share your data with other organizations.
- The company could use your data for advertising.
For schools this is a very serious concern. We are required by law to protect student data. So obviously this could limit an educator's use of AI with student writing, work, data, records, and more, even if the AI may be able to support the teacher and benefit the student.
The good news is, this is not the case when using Gemini with a school account.
🛡️ Google's AI Data Privacy Hub
Earlier this year Gemini and NotebookLM became Core Services for all Google education customers. This extended data privacy and protection to all schools that use Google Workspace for Education, whether on the free Fundamentals tier or a paid version such as Standard or Plus.
We can see all the details of what Google provides in their "Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub" which can be accessed at:
I would encourage you to read through the content for yourself, but to help out, below is a quick summary of some of the most important points.
🔒 Data Privacy Protections
Google provides the following protections for anyone using Gemini or NotebookLM with a school-provided Google Workspace for Education account:
- Your content (what you enter, upload, generate, etc) is not shared with anyone or any organization outside of your school's domain.
- Your content is not used to train Google's generative AI models.
- Your content is not reviewed by any humans.
- Your existing Google Workspace protections are automatically applied, including that your content is not used for advertising purposes.
👍 Data Privacy Compliance
In addition, Gemini meets and complies with a wide range of privacy laws and standards including:
- Gemini supports compliance with COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR (By contractually ring-fencing the school's data and prohibiting its use for model training or human review, Google provides the necessary legal and technical assurance that allows it to function as a compliant "school official" under FERPA and a "data processor" under GDPR.)
- Gemini has FedRAMP High authorization.
- Gemini has attained SOC 1/2/3, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, 27701, 27017, 27018, and 42001 certifications.
- Gemini can support HIPAA workloads.
Note: Google is also currently working toward these compliance certifications for NotebookLM.
🏁 Conclusion
Now I am not a lawyer, so I am simply sharing my best understanding of the information Google has provided. Perhaps an easy way to summarize all of this would be to say if it is currently appropriate for you to save certain data to your school Google Drive, then it is now equally appropriate for you to use that data in Gemini with your school account. The same agreement that has been protecting your school Google Drive and Gmail for years is now protecting your use of Gemini.
Once again though I encourage you to read through the details on the "Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub" and of course consult your school's leadership and legal counsel.
However, from what I have seen, Google has done an admirable job of providing schools with free data privacy protection in Gemini and their other AI tools. AI is a complicated topic with many potential benefits and possible concerns for schools. It is nice to know that with Gemini, data privacy is one issue that is being addressed.
Post by Eric Curts
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