Google has permanently shut down a search feature that used artificial intelligence to gather and present health advice from ordinary internet users. “What People Suggest” curated community health content from online discussions and organized it thematically for users conducting health searches. Three insiders confirmed the feature is gone, and Google subsequently acknowledged the fact.
The tool was introduced at Google’s “The Check Up” health event in New York, where then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo described how it would give users access to peer health wisdom. She highlighted how the AI-curated content would help people dealing with conditions like arthritis discover how others manage the same challenges. The feature was initially deployed to mobile users in the United States.
Google attributed the removal to search page simplification and denied safety concerns were involved. The blog post cited as a public announcement of the change made no mention of the discontinued feature, however. Critics have described the company’s handling of the removal as lacking in transparency.
The episode adds to a difficult year for Google’s AI health products. An investigation found that AI Overviews were providing false health information to approximately two billion monthly users. Google removed AI Overviews from some health searches following the investigation, but health experts called for broader reform.
With its next health event approaching, Google is expected to present new AI health research and innovation. The permanent shutdown of “What People Suggest” will be part of the context through which those announcements are evaluated. To rebuild trust in this sensitive domain, Google will need to demonstrate that accountability — not just ambition — drives its health AI decisions.