AI Doctors Authorized to Issue Prescriptions in Utah Spark Controversy

The state of Utah in the U.S. has allowed AI doctors to reissue patient prescriptions, sparking backlash from the medical community.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that since January, all adults in Utah have been able to obtain refills for medications such as cholesterol drugs and antidepressants through the AI startup Doctronic.

This technological initiative aims to address Utah's chronic physician shortage and make it easier for patients to receive prescriptions.

If this system becomes established, AI will independently make decisions and take over tasks previously performed by doctors, raising concerns within Utah's medical community.

"People can have life-or-death reactions to medications," said Alan Smith, chair of the Utah Physicians Licensing Board, questioning, "Who is going to be held accountable for what happens with a medication renewal?"

It is reported that the majority of the members of the Utah Physicians Licensing Board, including Chair Smith, have signed a letter calling for the suspension of the pilot program, citing safety concerns.

The debate surrounding AI in medicine is taking place not only in Utah but across the United States.

Lawmakers in New York are pushing for legislation to prevent AI chatbots from practicing medicine like human doctors, while Delaware has passed a bill prohibiting AI from obtaining medical or nursing licenses.

On the other hand, bills have been introduced in Iowa and Idaho to grant clinical licenses to AI medical services.

Utah is conducting this pilot program through a special regulatory sandbox that eases existing regulations for new technologies. While human doctors currently review AI prescriptions in the early stages, the ultimate goal is for the AI to renew prescriptions on its own.

Data released by the Utah state government last week showed that human doctors agreed with 91% of the prescriptions renewed by AI, while they indicated that the remaining 9% required additional information.

In those cases, another human doctor verified the information, and ultimately, only about 3% of the cases where the AI issued a renewal were denied approval.

In response, Jack Boyd, director of the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, stated, "We have designed this program very conservatively," adding that they have required the AI startup to carry insurance to prepare for potential medical malpractice.

He also added that there have been "no safety incidents of significant concern" to date.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.