Google has confirmed that it removed a search feature designed to present users with AI-organized health tips gathered from random online contributors, but the company’s explanation has left many unanswered questions. The feature, “What People Suggest,” was removed months ago, though Google only recently acknowledged the change after questions from journalists. Three insiders described the feature as definitively gone.
The tool was launched at a Google-hosted health event in New York, where it was hailed as a compassionate and practical addition to health search. Then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo argued that many users want more than expert medical advice — they want to know what others in similar situations have experienced. For people with conditions like arthritis, the feature was said to offer relatable, first-person insights.
Google insisted the removal was about search simplification and unconnected to any concerns about content quality or user safety. The company cited a blog post as its public disclosure, but that post made no mention of “What People Suggest.” The discrepancy has reinforced perceptions that Google is managing the story rather than engaging honestly with it.
The incident arrives in a difficult climate for Google’s health AI products. An investigation this year found that AI Overviews on Google Search had been delivering inaccurate health information to roughly two billion users every month. Although Google scaled back AI Overviews for some medical searches in response, the overall approach to AI-generated health content has not changed fundamentally.
Google is planning its next health-focused event, where the company will look to present a positive vision for AI in healthcare. But without genuine accountability for past mistakes, including the rushed introduction and quiet removal of “What People Suggest,” that vision will be difficult to sell. Real progress in health AI begins with honesty about what hasn’t worked.
Google Admits Removing AI Health Advice Feature — But Won’t Say Why It Was Really Scrapped
