Google has confirmed that a search feature designed to aggregate health opinions from internet users through AI has been removed from its platform. Named “What People Suggest,” the tool collected community health perspectives from online discussions and organized them into themed summaries for users. Three sources with inside knowledge confirmed its disappearance, and Google subsequently acknowledged the removal.
The feature was introduced at Google’s New York health event with an upbeat narrative about empowering users with community health knowledge. Karen DeSalvo, then Google’s chief health officer, wrote a blog post describing how the tool would let people benefit from the experiences of others with similar health situations. It was positioned as an AI-enabled advance in making health search more human.
When the removal was confirmed, Google attributed it to a simplification of its search interface rather than concerns about safety or content quality. This explanation drew skepticism when the company’s cited public communication about the change turned out to be a blog post with no reference to the discontinued feature. “It’s dead,” an informed source said plainly.
The removal comes against a backdrop of intensifying scrutiny over Google’s AI-generated health content. An earlier investigation found that AI Overviews in Google Search were providing false and misleading health information to approximately two billion users every month. Partial rollbacks of medical AI Overviews followed that investigation but were criticized as insufficient responses to a systemic issue.
As Google looks toward its next health event, featuring its current chief health officer and promises of new AI health research, the unresolved legacy of “What People Suggest” will color public perception. The health technology space demands a higher standard of transparency and accountability than Google has demonstrated so far. Meeting that standard will be essential to building credibility in this critical domain.
