Utah to let AI examine patients and prescribe medication without human oversight (www.techspot.com)

Utah has become the first state to allow an AI system to examine patients and prescribe medication without direct human oversight through a program launched by the healthcare startup Nolla Health. This initiative is currently limited to treating mild-to-moderate acne and involves users paying a monthly fee to access an app where they can scan their skin and provide personal medical information. The AI analyzes the data to generate an acne severity score and recommend from a set of eight approved topical treatments. Although the program eventually aims for full automation, the first 100 prescriptions will be reviewed by doctors, followed by a phased approach to increase AI's role in the subsequent prescriptions. This development is significant for the AI/ML community as it raises important questions about the role of AI in healthcare and challenges the belief that medical professions are largely safe from automation. While the program addresses a specific condition, it highlights a potential trend toward AI being utilized in clinical settings for diagnoses and treatment, albeit in a controlled manner. The limited scope, focused on less serious conditions and localized treatments, aims to mitigate risks associated with AI in medicine, especially in light of previous controversies regarding AI-generated health advice.