BHF comment
Health organisations raise concerns over AI summaries on search engines
With the rise of AI summaries for health information and the introduction of AI mode, charities including the BHF share concerns about access to trustworthy information.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “Being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease is one of those moments in life where having access to reliable, evidence-based information and advice is priceless.
"Each year millions of heart patients and their families turn to the internet in search of answers to their questions, and we have a duty as a society to ensure they access only the highest quality information and advice online.
"This is why it is so vital that verified sources such as the BHF website remain a first port of call for those in need of trustworthy, unbiased and accurate information about heart disease.”
Sophie Randall, Director of the Patient Information Forum, said: “We know there are concerns about the results in some AI Overview results. PIF has a mission to promote trusted health information to the public, which is why we are making our report available to the public.
“To stay safe when searching for health information online, we encourage the public to use trusted sources such as www.nhs.uk, look for the PIF TICK, the UK’s only quality mark for reliable health content, and add ‘UK’ to their searches to help surface relevant, UK-based information.”