Google is pulling an AI overview for some medical searches

Earlier this month, The Guardian published an investigation that showed Google was providing misleading and outright false information through its AI overview in response to certain medical queries. Now it appears that these results have been removed. According to the original report:

In one case that experts described as “really serious,” Google incorrectly advised people with pancreatic cancer to avoid high-fat foods. Experts said this is exactly the opposite of what should be recommended, and may increase the risk of patients dying from the disease.

In another “troubling” example, the company provided false information about important liver function tests, which could make people with serious liver disease falsely believe they are healthy.

As of this morning, the AI ​​provides an overview of questions such as “What is the normal range for liver blood tests?” It has been completely disabled. Google declined to comment on the specific removal of The Guardian. Spokesman Davis Thompson said Edge “We invest heavily in the quality of public reviews of AI, particularly around topics such as health, the vast majority of which provide accurate information. Our internal team of clinicians reviewed what was shared with us and found that in many cases, the information was not inaccurate and was also supported by high-quality websites. In cases where public reviews of AI are missing some context, we are working to make broad improvements, and also take action under our policies where appropriate.”

January 11 update: Added comment from Google.