Google appears to have removed its AI-generated summaries for certain liver-related health searches after concerns were raised about the accuracy of the responses, TechCrunch reported Jan. 11.
The change follows an investigation by The Guardian that found Google’s AI Overviews were providing potentially misleading information in response to some health-related queries. In one example cited by The Guardian, users who searched “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” were shown numerical ranges that did not account for factors such as age, sex, ethnicity or nationality — which could lead users to incorrectly interpret their test results as normal.
According to The Guardian, Google has since removed AI Overviews from search results for queries including “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” and “what is the normal range for liver function tests.” However, the outlet reported that similar phrasing — such as “lft reference range” or “lft test reference range” — could still prompt AI-generated summaries.
When TechCrunch tested several of the same queries hours after The Guardian published its findings, the searches did not display AI Overviews, though Google continued to offer users the option to ask the question using its AI Mode. In some instances, TechCrunch reported that the top search result was The Guardian article detailing the removals.
A Google spokesperson told The Guardian the company does not “comment on individual removals within Search,” but said it works to “make broad improvements.” The spokesperson added that Google’s internal team of clinicians reviewed the queries highlighted in the investigation and concluded that “in many instances, the information was not inaccurate and was also supported by high quality websites,” according to the report.
Becker’s has contacted Google for additional comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
