Google Removes AI Overview in a Number of Health Queries to Prevent Misleading Information

Google has quietly removed AI Overview for some medical queries in Google Search. This is done to avoid the spread of misleading health information.

Previously, the results of the Guardian investigation showed that AI Overview provided misleading information to a number of its users. For example, when users search for 'what is the normal range for liver blood tests', AI Overview immediately gives an absolute answer.

In fact, the answer to this question should take into account important factors such as nationality, gender, ethnicity, or age. Now, the report for the question no longer displays the answer from AI Overview.

In contrast, Google only displays more credible medical reference articles. However, this deletion only occurs in English queries. If you search in Indonesian, AI Overview still seems to provide answers.

A Google spokesperson declined to provide specific comment on the removal of the query. However, they stated that an internal team was working to broadly correct the error.

This internal team consists of clinicians who review health queries directly. The spokesperson also told TechCrunch that, "in many cases, the (health) information is not wrong and is also supported by high-quality websites."

Last year, Google launched various AI features that it claimed could improve search accuracy in the health sector. However, this incident proves that generative AI technology is not yet fully capable of handling complex medical data.