Google AI Overviews Prefer YouTube Over Medical Sites For Health Queries, Study Finds

For years, healthcare professionals have raised concerns over people relying on Google for health-related issues. But we are past that; people are now dependent on artificial intelligence (AI) for all the answers, including critical health problems. As per a recent study, Google's AI Overviews often rely more on YouTube than reputable medical websites when answering health-related queries.

The study, conducted by SE Ranking, analysed over 50,000 health searches in Germany and found that YouTube was the most cited source, accounting for 4.43% of all citations, which is 3.5 times more than netdoktor.de, one of the largest consumer health portals. The figure is also more than twice as often as in MSD Manuals, which is a well-established medical reference. 

"This matters because YouTube is not a medical publisher," the researchers wrote. "It is a general-purpose video platform. Anyone can upload content there (eg board-certified physicians, hospital channels, but also wellness influencers, life coaches, and creators with no medical training at all)."

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Only 34.45% of citations came from reliable medical sources, and the academic journals and government health institutions accounted for about 1% of all AI Overview citations.

Notably, Google told The Guardian that AI Overviews was created in a way that it promotes quality content from reputable sources from any platform. The company emphasises that many health authorities and licensed professionals produce content on YouTube. It also highlighted the limitations of the study as it was conducted using German-language queries as one-time snapshot in December 2025.

As quoted by the media outlet, a Google spokesperson said: "The implication that AI Overviews provide unreliable information is refuted by the report's own data, which shows that the most cited domains in AI Overviews are reputable websites. And from what we've seen in the published findings, AI Overviews cite expert YouTube content from hospitals and clinics."

Earlier, a probe by The Guardian found that incorrect and misleading health information in Google AI Overviews responses affected people, risking their lives.

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"If AI systems rely heavily on non-medical or non-authoritative sources even in such an environment, it suggests the issue may extend beyond any single country," the researchers wrote.

The study's findings have sparked discussions about the need for stricter controls on health information sources. Google has removed AI Overviews for certain medical queries following concerns over accuracy.

"This study provides empirical evidence that the risks posed by AI Overviews for health are structural, not anecdotal. It becomes difficult for Google to argue that misleading or harmful health outputs are rare cases," Hannah van Kolfschooten, who is a researcher specialising in AI, health and law at the University of Basel, said. She was not involved with the research.

"Instead, the findings show that these risks are embedded in the way AI Overviews are designed. In particular, the heavy reliance on YouTube rather than on public health authorities or medical institutions suggests that visibility and popularity, rather than medical reliability, is the central driver for health knowledge."