Google’s AI Health Crowdsourcing Feature Discontinued Amid Ongoing AI Safety Scrutiny

Google has ended the operation of a search feature that used AI to surface community-sourced health advice from internet users. The feature, called “What People Suggest,” was designed to organize perspectives from online health discussions and display them in search results. Its removal was confirmed by a Google spokesperson and corroborated by three people with direct knowledge of the decision.
Google announced the feature at its “The Check Up” health event in New York, with then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo explaining its role in enriching health search. The tool was meant to complement clinical and expert health information by surfacing real-world perspectives from people managing specific conditions. It was launched on mobile devices for users in the United States as an initial rollout.
The company framed the removal as a simplification of its search page, explicitly denying that safety issues were involved. When asked to provide evidence of public communication about the removal, Google pointed to a November blog post that contained no mention of the feature. Critics have labeled this a failure of transparency.
The removal comes amid widespread concerns about the safety of AI-generated health content on Google’s platform. An earlier investigation found that Google’s AI Overviews contained harmful medical misinformation reaching billions of users monthly. Although some AI Overviews were removed following the investigation, health experts have argued that more comprehensive reforms are needed.
With a new health event approaching, Google is expected to make fresh announcements about AI-powered health innovations. However, the lingering questions around the removal of “What People Suggest” suggest the company still has work to do in demonstrating that it can responsibly oversee AI health tools. A commitment to transparency will be just as important as the technologies themselves.