Google has removed some of its AI-generated search summaries after an investigation by The Guardian found that the feature was providing potentially misleading information in response to certain health-related queries.
The newspaper reported that Google’s AI Overviews returned simplified numerical ranges for questions such as “what is the normal range for liver blood tests,” without accounting for variables including age, sex, ethnicity or nationality. Health experts warned that this could lead users to believe their test results were normal when they were not.
Following the report, The Guardian said AI Overviews no longer appear for searches including “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” and “what is the normal range for liver function tests.” However, it noted that similar phrasing, such as “lft reference range,” could still trigger AI-generated summaries at the time of its testing.
Subsequent searches conducted several hours after the article was published did not return AI Overviews for those variations, although Google continued to offer users the option to run the query in its separate AI Mode. In some cases, the top search result linked directly to The Guardian article describing the removal.
A Google spokesperson told The Guardian that the company does not comment on individual removals within its search product but said it works to make broader improvements. The spokesperson added that an internal team of clinicians reviewed the highlighted queries and concluded that, in many instances, the information provided was not inaccurate and was supported by high-quality websites.
TechCrunch reported that it had contacted Google for additional comment.
Google has previously said it is investing in improving AI-generated search features for healthcare-related use cases. Last year, the company announced updates that included enhanced overviews and AI models designed specifically for health information.
Vanessa Hebditch, director of communications and policy at the British Liver Trust, welcomed the removal, calling it “excellent news.” She added, however, that concerns remain about the wider use of AI Overviews for health-related searches.
“Our bigger concern with all this is that it is nit-picking a single search result and Google can just shut off the AI Overviews for that, but it’s not tackling the bigger issue of AI Overviews for health,” she told The Guardian.
