Google has discontinued a feature that mined internet forums for health tips and presented them to users through AI-organized summaries. The feature, known as “What People Suggest,” gathered community health content from online discussions and offered it as a supplement to expert medical search results. Three informed sources confirmed the removal before Google provided an official statement.
The feature was introduced at a health event hosted by Google in New York. Then-chief health officer Karen DeSalvo described it as a tool that would let users benefit from the lived health experiences of peers. The AI organized relevant community discussions into themes and linked users to the original source content. Mobile users in the US were the initial recipients.
Google attributed the removal to a broader simplification of its search page and denied safety was a consideration. When asked to substantiate the claim of public disclosure, the company pointed to a blog post that made no mention of “What People Suggest.” “It’s dead,” one insider confirmed.
This removal coincides with mounting criticism of Google’s AI health content. An earlier investigation found that AI Overviews were distributing false health information to approximately two billion users each month. Google removed some medical AI Overviews following the investigation, but health advocates have pressed for more fundamental reforms.
With another health event scheduled, Google is preparing to make fresh claims about its leadership in AI-driven healthcare. But the circumstances around “What People Suggest” — introduced without adequate safeguards and removed without honest communication — serve as a check on that narrative. Real leadership in health AI means owning failures, not just celebrating breakthroughs.