If there is one pet peeve that many doctors have, it would be how the internet has turned everyone into a medical expert. People are searching for symptoms they have and diagnosing themselves, causing undue panic, which can sometimes hinder their treatment process. Google isn’t making it easier for doctors, especially with a new feature they’re rolling out that uses AI to crowdsource medical information.
AI medical information
This new feature expands Google’s AI Overviews. For those unfamiliar, AI Overviews is a feature in Google Search that summarizes information using AI. It’s also an expansion of Google’s information cards, which previously displayed information at the top of the search results using snippets from websites.
According to Google, “Using AI, we’re able to organize different perspectives from online discussions into easy-to-understand themes, helping you quickly grasp what people are saying. For example, a person dealing with arthritis might want to know how others with this condition exercise. With this feature, they can quickly uncover real insights from people who also have the condition, with links to click out and learn more.”
Now, we won’t deny that this feature could be useful. People are already going to search for their medical conditions or symptoms on the internet. Google might as well make it easier for them. Users will be able to source from other websites and platforms with other users sharing their own experiences with these conditions.
Potential for misinformation
However, the potential for misinformation is pretty high. One of the problems plaguing AI is hallucinations, where AI will give users wrong or completely made-up information. Who’s to say that this won’t happen with this new feature? Google doesn’t say how it plans to prevent AI from giving false medical information. However, it is definitely an area that needs to be explored further.
We imagine that false information will make it even harder for doctors to treat patients. This is because some might insist they “know better” simply because they did their own “research”. It is possible that over time, the quality of answers will improve as AI gets better. But for now, we’re remaining cautious.
