Nearly half of PIF members report misinformation in AI overviews
Almost half of the members surveyed by the Patient Information Forum this summer reported seeing inaccuracies about their topic area in AI overviews.
AI overviews are short answers to your internet search questions created by AI. They are used by Google and other search engines and appear at the top of your screen before the list of websites.
These summaries can be useful but they are still being developed and tested – which means they can get things wrong.
Following regular meetings with our members earlier this year, we asked our members about the impact of the introduction of AI overviews. 62 organisations responded to our survey between August and October 2025.
Here are some of the key findings:
- Nearly 5 out of 10 have seen inaccuracies or misinformation about their topic area in AI overviews.
- Nearly 1 in 10 have evidence of users impacted by misinformation from AI overviews.
- More than 2 in 10 have issued advice to their user group on likely inaccuracies in AI-generated health information.
- More than 6 out of 10 of respondents reported experiencing a drop in website sessions since the launch of AI overviews.
- Of those who experienced a drop, the most common range was an 11% to 25% decrease in sessions.
- More than 6 in 10 respondents did not notice a fall in demand for their services, but some reported declines in helplines and user forums.
- 1 in 10 report that falling traffic is impacting income.
Key concerns about search results
Concerns are building about Google’s 2024 launch of its AI search results panel posing a risk to health outcomes.
In March, 70 organisations from across the health sector attended a virtual roundtable hosted by Marie Curie and the Patient Information Forum (PIF). These included NHS organisations and a host of national charities who share these concerns and have collaborated on this list of identified risks.
The resulting report assesses the impact of Google AI search results on the health sector and highlights key concerns - you can read it here.