Google has quietly removed its experimental AI search feature which allowed users to see health advice collected from online discussions and personal experiences shared by people across the internet. If you have searched for medical topics recently, you might have noticed the ‘What People Suggest’ option. Well, Google introduced this feature to make Search more conversational and AI-driven. However, a report by The Guardian now suggests that the feature was discontinued months ago, after the company reviewed how the tool was being used.
Google had initially introduced the ‘What People Suggest’ feature to highlight insights from people who had first-hand experience with specific health conditions. Using artificial intelligence, Google organised comments from forums, discussion boards, and social platforms into short summaries that appeared directly in search results. The company pitched the tool as a way to help users quickly understand how others manage similar health issues, alongside traditional medical information from expert sources.
When the feature launched, it was rolled out on mobile devices in the United States and focused mainly on health-related queries. At the time, Google said the goal was to make Search more useful by combining expert knowledge with real-world experiences. For example, someone searching about arthritis could see summaries of how other people with the condition stay active, along with links to the original discussions. Google said the feature was meant to complement professional medical advice rather than replace it, and that it would help users discover useful perspectives more quickly.
However, while the feature did gain some initial momentum, the experiment did not last long. The report notes that it has been quality shut down due to potential risk to health. Although Google has denied that the change was linked to concerns about inaccurate or unsafe medical information. The company says the change was part of a broader effort to simplify search results.
A spokesperson told the publication that the company still aims to help people find reliable health content from a variety of sources, including forums where users share personal experiences, which many people find helpful. ““This feature was turned down months ago as part of a broader simplification of the search results page, which we shared publicly,” a Google spokesperson told The Guardian.
