One of Google’s most controversial health AI features, a tool that gathered and presented medical advice from internet strangers, has been discontinued. “What People Suggest” used AI to curate and organize health content from online discussion forums and present it within search results. The removal was confirmed by three insiders and later by a Google spokesperson who offered a sparse and disputed explanation.
The feature’s story began at Google’s “The Check Up” health event in New York, where then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo championed it as a meaningful advance in health search. She wrote that the tool would help users access peer health experiences, such as those of arthritis patients sharing exercise tips with each other. The feature was made available on mobile devices for users in the United States.
Google said removing the feature was part of a standard simplification of the search results page and denied safety was involved. When the company was asked for a public record of the decision, it referenced a blog post that made no reference to the feature’s discontinuation. One informed source described it simply: “It’s dead.”
The backdrop includes a significant investigation earlier this year revealing that Google’s AI Overviews were circulating false health information to roughly two billion users monthly. In response, Google removed AI Overviews from certain health searches but maintained others, a decision that health professionals found inadequate.
Google will hold its next health event soon, where its new chief health officer is expected to lay out a vision for AI-powered health innovation. But the legacy of “What People Suggest” — a feature introduced with ambition and retired without explanation — will serve as a reminder that ambition in health AI must be matched by accountability, transparency, and a serious commitment to user safety.