Following a report by the Guardian that uncovered misleading information in Google’s AI Overviews for certain medical queries, the company has removed the AI-generated summaries for some health-related searches. The investigation revealed that when users searched for “what is the normal range for liver blood tests,” the AI Overviews provided reference values that failed to account for key variables such as age, sex, ethnicity, and nationality—factors that can significantly affect what is considered a normal result. This could lead users to misinterpret their test results as healthy when they may not be. As of the latest update, the AI Overviews have been taken down for the specific queries “what is the normal range for liver blood tests” and “what is the normal range for liver function tests.” However, the Guardian found that similar variations—such as “lft reference range” or “lft test reference range”—still trigger AI-generated summaries in some cases. When tested this morning, several hours after the report was published, none of these variations displayed AI Overviews, though Google still offered the option to use AI Mode for the same queries. In some instances, the top result was the Guardian’s own article about the issue. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on individual removals, stating the company does not discuss specific changes in Search. However, they noted that Google is focused on making broad improvements to its systems and that an internal team of clinicians reviewed the queries highlighted by the Guardian. According to the spokesperson, in many cases, the information provided was not inaccurate and was supported by reputable, high-quality websites. TechCrunch has reached out to Google for further clarification. Last year, the company introduced new features to enhance Google Search for healthcare-related queries, including more accurate overviews and specialized health-focused AI models. Despite these efforts, concerns remain. Vanessa Hebditch, director of communications and policy at the British Liver Trust, welcomed the removal of the AI Overviews for those specific queries, calling it “excellent news.” However, she emphasized that the real issue goes beyond a single search result. “It’s not enough to just shut off the AI Overviews for one query,” she said. “The bigger problem is the broader use of AI Overviews in health information, where the risk of misinterpretation is high. Google needs to address the systemic challenges, not just react to individual cases.”