During the American Medical Association House of Delegates Annual Meeting, physicians agreed to develop principles on the benefits and consequences of AI-generated medical advice. They aim to protect patients from misinformation and ensure the appropriate use of AI in healthcare. Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, the first openly gay AMA president, was sworn in. He emphasized addressing health inequities and injustices and advocated for the AMA Recovery Plan, Medicare payment system reform, and countering legislative interference in medical practice.
During the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates, physicians in the United States agreed to develop principles and recommendations concerning the benefits and potential drawbacks of relying on AI-generated medical advice and content that may or may not be validated, accurate, or appropriate.
The objective of this initiative is to protect patients from misinformation by advising policymakers on necessary actions. The AMA aims to enhance the understanding of how AI can appropriately utilize its vast potential to benefit patients and alleviate the administrative burden on physicians.
According to Dr. Alexander Ding, an AMA trustee, “AI holds the promise of transforming medicine. We want to use our scientific expertise to establish guidelines and safeguards to prevent unintended consequences, such as bias, disparities, dissemination of incorrect medical advice, and the spread of misinformation or disinformation. We are proactively considering the potential and limitations of AI to benefit our patients, especially in the absence of a clear regulatory framework for its use in everyday medical practice.”
In addition to making recommendations, the AMA House of Delegates voted to collaborate with the federal government and relevant organizations to safeguard patients from false or misleading AI-generated medical advice. The AMA also encourages physicians to educate patients about the benefits and risks of engaging with AI.
As a leader in the medical field, the AMA acknowledges its unique opportunity to ensure that AI’s evolution in medicine benefits patients, physicians, and the healthcare community. While AI tools show great promise in alleviating physician administrative burdens and potentially being used in direct patient care, it is important to note that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other generative AI products have known limitations and are not entirely error-free.
These current limitations pose potential risks for physicians and patients, and caution should be exercised when using unregulated machine-learning algorithms and tools. AI-generated fabrications, errors, or inaccuracies can harm patients, and physicians need to be aware of these risks and added liability.
Dr. Ding emphasized the importance of establishing consensus principles, standards, and regulatory requirements to ensure the safe, effective, unbiased, and ethical development of AI technologies, including large language models and generative pre-trained transformers. These advancements aim to increase access to health information and extend the reach of doctors to patients and communities.
During the same annual meeting, Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, an anesthesiologist from Wisconsin, was inaugurated as the 178th president of the AMA. Dr. Ehrenfeld is the first openly gay person to hold this position.
Dr. Ehrenfeld, a practicing anesthesiologist, senior associate dean, and tenured professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been actively involved in organized medicine since his time in medical school. He served as the chair of the AMA Board of Trustees from 2019 to 2020.
In his inauguration speech, Dr. Ehrenfeld highlighted the importance of addressing health inequities and injustices, commending the AMA’s efforts in recognizing past wrongs and standing against discriminatory practices in medicine. He emphasized the need to partner with allies committed to advancing equitable care for all patients.
Throughout his presidential term, Dr. Ehrenfeld plans to advocate for the AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians. This includes initiatives to address issues such as the reform of the Medicare payment system, the improvement of prior authorization processes, and the elimination of the stigma surrounding physician burnout. Dr. Ehrenfeld also aims to counter legislative interference in medical practice, which has led to the criminalization of care.
Outside of his medical career, Dr. Ehrenfeld is an accomplished photographer and has received recognition for his work in capturing and advocating for the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals. 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.
Additionally, Dr. Ehrenfeld is a combat veteran with deployments to Afghanistan during both Operation Enduring Freedom and the Resolute Support Mission.
