An AI-based feature from Google that displayed community-sourced health advice in search results has been discontinued, with minimal public acknowledgment from the company. “What People Suggest” had organized health perspectives from online discussions using AI and presented them to users conducting health queries. Google confirmed its removal following inquiries, and three insiders corroborated that the tool is gone.
Launched at Google’s annual health conference in New York, the feature was introduced by then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo as a way to democratize access to lived health experiences. She wrote that users want both expert and peer perspectives when searching for health information, and the feature was designed to deliver the latter. Mobile users in the United States were the first to access the tool.
Google’s explanation for removing the feature — search page simplification — was accompanied by a pointer to a blog post that made no mention of the discontinued feature. The disconnect between the company’s stated reasons and its actions has drawn scrutiny from observers of health AI governance.
The removal takes place in the context of serious concerns about the accuracy of Google’s AI health content. An investigation earlier this year revealed that AI Overviews were distributing false medical information to billions of users every month. Google made partial adjustments in response, but health professionals called for more sweeping reforms to the company’s approach to AI-generated medical content.
With another Google health event scheduled, the company is set to promote its latest AI health innovations. But the manner in which “What People Suggest” was introduced, operated, and removed has underscored the need for greater transparency and user protection in AI health products. That need is unlikely to disappear, regardless of how impressive the next round of announcements turns out to be.