AMA agrees to develop principles on the benefits and consequences of AI-generated medical advice

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At the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates, the nation's physicians agreed to develop principles and recommendations on the benefits and unforeseen consequences of relying on AI-generated medical advice and content that may or may not be validated, accurate or appropriate.

The AMA said it would then advise policymakers to take action that would protect patients from misinformation.

It is encouraging a better understanding of how AI may appropriately harness its vast potential to benefit patients, and decrease the administrative burden on physicians. 

"AI holds the promise of transforming medicine. We don't want to be chasing technology. Rather, as scientists, we want to use our expertise to structure guidelines, and guardrails to prevent unintended consequences, such as baking in bias and widening disparities, dissemination of incorrect medical advice, or spread of misinformation or disinformation," said AMA trustee Dr. Alexander Ding. "We're trying to look around the corner for our patients to understand the promise and limitations of AI. There is a lot of uncertainty about the direction and regulatory framework for this use of AI that has found its way into the day-to-day practice of medicine."

In addition to making recommendations, the AMA House of Delegates voted to work with the federal government and other appropriate organizations to protect patients from false or misleading AI-generated medical advice. The AMA has begun – and will continue – to encourage physicians to educate patients about the benefits and risks of patients engaging with AI.

As a leader in medicine, the AMA said it has a unique opportunity to ensure that the evolution of AI in medicine benefits patients, physicians and the healthcare community. While the tools show tremendous promise in helping alleviate physician administrative burdens and may ultimately be successfully used in direct patient care, OpenAI's ChatGPT and other generative AI products have known issues and are not error free. 

The current limitations create potential risks for physicians and patients and should be used with appropriate caution at this time. AI-generated fabrications, errors or inaccuracies can harm patients, and physicians need to be acutely aware of these risks and added liability before they rely on unregulated machine-learning algorithms and tools.

"Moving toward creation of consensus principles, standards, and regulatory requirements will help ensure safe, effective, unbiased, and ethical AI technologies, including large language models (LLMs) and generative pre-trained transformers (GPT) [are developed] to increase access to health information and scale doctors' reach to patients and communities," Dr. Ding said. "We are entering this brave new world with our eyes wide open and our minds engaged."

Also, during the annual meeting, Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, an anesthesiologist from Wisconsin, was sworn in today as the 178th president of the AMA.

Active in organized medicine since medical school, Ehrenfeld was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2014, serving as chair from 2019 to 2020. 

Ehrenfeld is the first openly gay person to serve as AMA president.

Dr. Ehrenfeld is a practicing anesthesiologist, senior associate dean, and tenured professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he leads the largest statewide health philanthropy, the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. Dr. Ehrenfeld is also an adjunct professor of anesthesiology and health policy at Vanderbilt University, and adjunct professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

He is a graduate of Haverford College, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health. 

At his inauguration, Dr. Ehrenfeld spoke about health inequities and injustices, saying "the AMA has made tremendous strides in recent years to recognize past wrongs, to take a stand against discriminatory practices in medicine, to stand on the side of justice and equity, and to partner with allies who are committed to advancing the rights of all patients to receive equitable care."

Additionally, throughout his presidential year, Dr. Ehrenfeld will focus on advocating for the AMA Recovery Plan for America's Physicians.

"We have a duty to fight for the AMA Recovery Plan for America's Physicians in the aftermath of the pandemic, pushing to fix our broken Medicare payment system, reform prior authorization, and end the stigma around physician burnout."

He also said, "We have a duty to push back against legislative interference in the practice of medicine that is leading to the criminalization of care.

Outside of his medical career, Ehrenfeld is an Emmy-nominated photographer and 2015 recipient of a White House News Photographers Association award for his work in capturing and advocating for the lives of LGBTQ+ people. He has served as a special advisor to the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and provides technical expertise as a consultant to the World Health Organization Digital Health Technical Advisory Group.

Dr. Ehrenfeld is a combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support Mission. 

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org