Tech giant, Google, has ended its experiment with AI-based health advice after questions arose over the reliability of guidance from non-professional contributors. 
The feature, known as “What People Suggest”, allowed users to access crowdsourced medical insights from people who had experienced similar conditions, but safety concerns and the potential for misleading information prompted the company to discontinue it.
A Google spokesperson said the removal was part of a “broader simplification” of the search page, adding:
“It had nothing to do with the quality or safety of the feature, and we continue to help people find reliable health information from a range of sources, including forums with first-person perspectives that people find incredibly useful”.
The decision follows earlier measures in January to restrict AI-generated health summaries, known as Google AI Overviews, after reports indicated the feature could put users at risk by providing inaccurate medical guidance.
Karen DeSalvo, then Google’s chief health officer, had previously described the feature as a way to give users insights from others’ experiences alongside expert advice, saying:
“While people come to search to find reliable medical information from experts, they also value hearing from others who have similar experiences”.
