Google appears to have removed AI Overviews from certain health-related search queries following an investigation by The Guardian, which found that the feature was providing potentially misleading medical information.
Google’s decision to remove the medical info confirms it cannot be fully trusted for health advice.
The Guardian reported that when users searched for “what is the normal range for liver blood tests,” Google’s AI Overview displayed numerical ranges that did not account for factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, or nationality. The publication said this could mislead users into thinking their test results were normal when they were not.
AI Overviews Removed
After the report was published, the Guardian said AI Overviews no longer appeared for searches such as “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” and “what is the normal range for liver function tests.” However, it found that similar variations, including “lft reference range” and “lft test reference range,” could still produce AI-generated summaries.
Several hours after the Guardian’s story went live, those queries no longer returned AI Overviews when tested. Google continued to offer the option to rerun the searches in AI Mode. In some cases, the top search result linked directly to the Guardian’s article covering the removals.
Google Denies Inaccuracy
A Google spokesperson told the Guardian that the company does not comment on individual changes within Search, but said it works to make broad improvements to its systems. The spokesperson added that an internal team of clinicians reviewed the examples cited in the investigation and found that, in many cases, the information was not inaccurate and was supported by high-quality websites.
TechCrunch reported that it has reached out to Google for additional comment. Last year, Google announced new Search features designed to improve healthcare-related queries, including updated overviews and health-focused AI models.
Health Groups Raise Broader Concerns
Vanessa Hebditch, director of communications and policy at the British Liver Trust, told the Guardian that the removal of the AI Overviews was “excellent news.” However, she said her broader concern remains Google’s use of AI Overviews for health-related searches, arguing that disabling individual results does not address the wider risks of AI-generated medical information.
