Google’s “AI Overview” Health Filter Tightens Controls on Medical Searches
According to recent reports, Google has strengthened safeguards within its AI Overview feature for health-related searches. The changes aim to reduce the visibility of potentially harmful medical advice, particularly for highly sensitive “Your Money or Your Life” queries, while prioritising trusted clinical and expert sources.
Key Developments
Analysis of thousands of mental health search queries shows that AI Overviews appear selectively rather than universally.
Searches containing medication names triggered AI Overviews far less frequently, while queries including company names showed none at all.
When transactional-style searches were excluded, informational mental health queries displayed a significantly higher rate of AI Overviews.
Google has also confirmed that AI Overviews are a core Search feature and cannot be disabled, though users can switch to the Web filter to view text-only results.
Industry & Expert Context
Health queries fall under Google’s YMYL classification, where accuracy and safety are prioritised due to potential real-world consequences.
Following public scrutiny around incorrect or misleading AI-generated medical responses, Google has limited AI summaries for high-risk topics such as diagnosis interpretation, cancer treatment, and mental health crises.
Industry data shows AI Overviews appear more often in health searches than in ecommerce or general queries, reflecting Google’s push to surface vetted information rather than transactional content.
This approach aligns with broader search quality efforts seen across SE Ranking and other industry analyses.
Why This Matters
For users, the Google AI Overview health filter reduces exposure to unverified or unsafe medical guidance, especially in critical decision-making moments.
For healthcare publishers and medical websites, the shift reinforces the importance of authoritative content, expert citations, and clinical credibility.
SEO teams must recognise that health visibility is now driven less by optimisation tactics and more by trust, accuracy, and professional validation.
The update also signals how generative AI features are being reshaped to align with real-world risk management.
What Happens Next
Google is expected to continue refining AI Overview triggers for sensitive topics, particularly where AI responses may conflict with professional medical advice.
More granular filtering between informational and transactional intent is also likely, especially for pharmaceutical-related searches.
Publishers operating in the health space may see further volatility as Google calibrates AI visibility around safety thresholds.
Final Takeaway
Google’s tightening of AI Overviews for health searches reflects a broader shift toward safety-first AI deployment in Search.
Digital marketing and search analysts, includingDigilogy,, track these developments closely as they redefine how authority, trust, and visibility are earned in high-risk search environments.
