Errors Found in Google AI Overviews Healthcare Information

Google’s AI Overviews has once again drawn criticism for sharing incorrect medical information. A recent report revealed that the AI-powered search summary feature provided wrong answers to specific medical questions. After the issue became public, Google reportedly removed the faulty responses, and in some cases, AI Overviews no longer appears for certain medical searches. This comes at a time when companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are actively promoting AI use in healthcare.

According to an investigation by The Guardian, AI Overviews produced misleading and potentially harmful medical advice. In one instance, it suggested that pancreatic cancer patients should avoid high-fat foods, even though medical experts recommend high-fat diets for such patients, as avoiding them can be dangerous. In another case, the tool displayed incorrect “normal ranges” for liver blood tests without considering important factors such as age, gender, nationality, or ethnicity, which could lead users to wrongly assume their results are normal. It also reportedly gave inaccurate information about women’s cancer tests, sometimes dismissing genuine symptoms.

Google responded by stating that the examples came from incomplete screenshots, although the linked sources were said to be reputable. Tests by other users showed that AI Overviews was no longer displaying summaries for those queries. However, the incident raises concerns because many people rely on Google Search for health information, and AI Overviews appears at the top of search results, making it more likely to be trusted. With AI adoption in healthcare increasing, even small errors can carry serious risks.