Google Dropped Its AI Tool That Sourced Medical Tips From Online Communities

An AI search feature from Google that aggregated health advice from online communities has been removed from the platform. “What People Suggest” was built to surface relevant community health perspectives using AI and was presented as a positive step forward in health search technology. Three sources confirmed the feature’s removal, and a Google spokesperson later confirmed it while denying it was related to safety issues.
The feature was first shown to the public at Google’s health event in New York in spring of last year, where Karen DeSalvo, then leading Google’s health team, explained its value for users seeking peer-based health experiences. The AI-organized format was designed to make it easy for users to quickly grasp relevant community knowledge. The rollout began with mobile users in the United States.
Although Google described the removal as part of broader search page simplification, the lack of clear public communication about the decision raised red flags. The blog post Google pointed to as its official notice made no reference to the feature being discontinued, leading critics to question whether the explanation was fully transparent.
This comes as Google has been dealing with significant pushback over health misinformation in its AI tools. An investigation this year showed that AI Overviews on Google Search included false and dangerous health information, displayed to around two billion monthly users. Following the investigation, some medical AI Overviews were pulled, but the overall problem of AI health inaccuracies has not been resolved.
Google is preparing to announce new AI health initiatives at an upcoming event. As it does, the fate of “What People Suggest” will loom in the background as an example of what can go wrong when health AI features are deployed hastily. The company’s next steps in health technology should reflect not just innovation but a genuine commitment to accuracy and user safety.