Google removes AI Summary for certain medical queries

Following investigated by the Guardian who found Google’s AI Overview to offer confusing information in response to health-related queries, the company appears to have removed AI Overview for some of these queries.

For example, the Guardian first reported that when users ask “what is the normal range for a liver blood test,” they will be given a number that does not account for factors such as nationality, sex, ethnicity, or age, which may lead them to think their results are healthy when they are not.

Now, the Guardian said The AI ​​overview has been removed of the results for “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” and “what is the normal range for liver function tests.” However, it was found that variations of the query, such as “lft reference range” or “lft test reference range,” could still result in AI-generated summaries.

When I tried the question this morning – a few hours after the Guardian published its story – no one could see the AI ​​Overview, although Google still offered the option to ask the same question in AI Mode. In some cases, the top result was a Guardian article about the removal.

A Google spokesperson told the Guardian that the company does not “comment on individual removals in Search,” but that it can “make substantial improvements.” The spokesperson also said that an internal team of doctors reviewed the questions highlighted by the Guardian and found “in many cases, the information was inaccurate and also supported by quality websites.”

TechCrunch has reached out to Google for additional comment. Last year, the company announced new features aimed at improving Google Search for healthcare use casesincluding better overview and AI models focused on health.

Vanessa Hebditch, director of communications and policy at the British Liver Trust, told the Guardian that the removal was “excellent news,” but added, “The bigger concern about all of this is that nit-picking a single search result and Google can only turn off AI Summary but not address the larger issue of AI Summary for health.