Utah to let AI examine patients and prescribe medication without human oversight

The state of Utah is set to become the first in the US to allow artificial intelligence (AI) to examine patients and prescribe medication without human oversight, after the state's Department of Health has approved a new rule. The rule, which was finalized on July 1, allows AI systems to be used for 'diagnosis, treatment, and medication management', as long as they are certified by the state. The AI system must be 'designed to follow a treatment plan created by a licensed healthcare provider' and be able to 'communicate with a healthcare provider to clarify any questions or concerns'. The rule was proposed by a Utah-based company called Medable, which has developed an AI system called 'Prospero' that can analyze patient data and make treatment recommendations. The company claims that Prospero can analyze data from electronic health records, medical literature, and other sources to make more accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations than human doctors. The company has not disclosed the specifics of how Prospero works, but it claims that it uses 'machine learning algorithms' to analyze data and make recommendations. The new rule has raised concerns among some medical professionals, who are worried about the potential risks of relying on AI for medical diagnoses and treatment. They argue that AI systems are not yet sophisticated enough to replace human doctors, and that they can make mistakes that can have serious consequences. However, Medable claims that Prospero has been tested in clinical trials and has shown 'exceptional results', and that it is 'not intended to replace human doctors, but rather to assist them'.