Source: The Guardian

The Guardian reports that Google has removed several of its artificial intelligence health summaries following an investigation that found the feature was providing false and misleading medical information. The "AI Overviews," which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate data about liver function tests, wrongly suggesting that ill patients had normal results. Experts labeled these instances as "dangerous and alarming," noting that users might avoid follow-up healthcare based on false reassurance. Further errors included incorrect dietary advice for pancreatic cancer patients, which could potentially increase the risk of death.

Although Google has pulled summaries for specific queries like "normal range for liver blood tests," similar variations still trigger the AI tool, indicating that the removal is only partial. Health charities and medical professionals have expressed deep concern over the systemic issues of AI-produced health information. A Google spokesperson stated that the company does not comment on individual removals but works to improve quality where context is missed. This incident underscores the high stakes of integrating generative AI into critical information systems and the urgent need for stricter verification of health-related outputs.