Google Search Will Answer Health Questions With User Suggestions And AI

AI has played a large role in disseminating information to users from thousands of sources, and healthcare is a massive search category with proprietary search functions. Google announced that Search is adding a new function that will showcase user suggestions sourced from online discussions to suggest something for that pain in your left side.

When you type in Google Search, “Why does my leg hurt?” you’ll get several different results arranged in sections that Google has designed specifically for medical advice. The now-normal AI Overview will summarize different sources from journals and credibal posts to give you a load of information about what the issue you might. If you scroll, you’ll also see a section labeled “Related health conditions,” passing along suggestions from Mayo Clinic and other predetermined trusted sources.

According to Google, a new section will soon be added that takes information from general discussion posts online and breaks it down into suggestions based on user experiences. The new Google Search section will be labeled “What people suggest,” and it’ll look a lot similar to Search result boxes that exist within the realm of healthcare already.

At the top, the box will display several social media icons to indicate where the suggestions come from. The example image showcases Twitter (before it was X), Reddit, and Quora as a few examples. Further, the suggestions will be summarized into quick notes with dropdown arrows for more information and source credits. The source will be important, as these suggestions might not all be trustworthy.

Google notes that Search medical suggestions will be powered by AI, much like other sections of Search. Still, the chance that it offers comedic suggestions from joke posts and general bad information is non-zero. Still, it strengthens the suite of information users see when they enter medical questions into search.

Google notes that “What people suggest” is rolling out to mobile devices in the US.