Several people arrived at the social and health station in Himanka in Kalajoki on Thursday morning for flu vaccinations after Google's AI search summary gave them the wrong time, the Pohjois-Pohjanmaa wellbeing services county said. Vaccinations are not currently being arranged at the station.
The county, known as Pohte, said the customers had sought information on the web and relied on an incorrect AI summary, Yle reported.
Communications director Outi Korhonen said the AI had apparently retrieved old bulletins and given wrong information based on them.
Pohte issued a general release warning that incorrect information about flu vaccination times had spread through Google's AI search, Iltalehti reported. The wrong details concerned vaccinations in Himanka, among other places, according to the release. Google currently offers AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, which can contain incorrect information, Iltalehti reported.
"It is unfortunate if people are directed to wrong places and wrong times. We want to guide those seeking information directly to our website. There, the vaccination times are certainly correct," Korhonen said.
Pohte reminded that correct and up-to-date vaccination information is always available on its website at pohde.fi/palvelut/influenssa-ja-koronarokotus. Korhonen said the county is now trying to find out what can be done about the problem.