Google ends AI search tool that crowdsourced health tips- Android Authority

The Guardian reports that Google has quietly ended its “What People Suggest” feature, an AI search tool that showed health tips and stories from everyday users across the internet. While the idea seemed useful at first, it raised an important question: should a search engine summarize medical advice from strangers?

The feature aimed to give quick, easy-to-read insights from people with similar health issues. It’s easy to see why that might be appealing. Instead of searching through forums, you’d get a summary right away. The problem was that these insights didn’t come from medical professionals. They were taken from user discussions online.

Google has been under growing pressure over how its AI handles medical information. Earlier investigations found its AI Overviews sometimes delivered misleading or even risky health advice. In some cases, the guidance lacked key context or contradicted established medical recommendations.

Even when the information wasn’t completely wrong, critics said it could still be risky. Health advice is more than just facts. Things like age, medical history, and other details matter, and AI doesn’t always understand those differences.

On top of that, disclaimers warning users to consult professionals weren’t always front and center, which made the AI responses feel more authoritative than they should.

So when Google launched a feature based on advice from non-experts, it didn’t help ease those worries.

Google says the removal wasn’t about safety or accuracy. Instead, the company frames it as part of a broader effort to simplify the search experience.

That explanation seems a little too convenient, especially now. The feature disappeared just as people are paying more attention to AI health content and a few months after the search giant ditched AI Overviews for liver test queries, which were found to give incorrect medical advice.

For now, AI will no longer summarize crowd-sourced medical advice in Google Search, and that’s likely for the best. You can still find personal stories in forums and online communities, but you’ll need to look for them yourself. When it comes to health, taking your time and being careful is better than getting quick but possibly misleading advice.