Overview

• The 2024 research paper by Google’s Med-Gemini model reported an “old left basilar ganglia infarct,” inventing a non-existent brain structure.
• Neurologist Dr. Bryan Moore exposed the mistake on LinkedIn in August, leading Google to silently update its blog post but not the original paper.
• Google has characterized the error as a mere misspelling of “basal ganglia,” yet the published study continues to reference the fabricated “basilar ganglia.”
• Google’s companion model, MedGemma, has also shown inconsistent diagnostic outputs, varying results for the same X-ray based on question phrasing.
• Medical professionals caution that unchecked AI hallucinations risk causing misdiagnoses and underscore the need for stricter oversight in clinical AI deployments.