Physicians fire back against HHS secretary’s claim AI is ‘better informed’ than human docs
Physician societies are criticizing recent claims made by the Health and Human Services chief, charging that artificial intelligence can offer a better second opinion than a human doctor.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. made the remarks during a fireside chat on Tuesday to close out the Make America Healthy Again Summit, in Washington. Kennedy told attendees he believes AI can offer a “second opinion that is much better informed than any doctor in the country,” the New York Times reports.
He believes the technology offers the opportunity to “free us from medical tyranny.”
“One of the things that is going to change is that we’re never ever again going to be able to be dominated by public officials who tell us, ‘Trust the experts,’” Kennedy said Sept. 29.
“If somebody tells you, ‘Masks work, trust the experts,’ AI may tell you otherwise,” he added, according to the Times. “If somebody tells you, ‘Social distancing works, trust the experts,’ AI may correct that. And if somebody tells you that a vaccine will prevent transmission and infection, or you need to take it to protect your grandmother, AI may say it actually doesn’t do that.”
Six medical societies fired back against these claims on Wednesday, charging that they “diminish physician expertise and risk undermining patients’ trust.” Those signing the statement—which never explicitly mentions Secretary Kennedy—included the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, and the American Medical Association.
They noted that physicians evaluate patients in context, drawing on years of training and experience. Human docs ask questions, understand each patient’s unique needs, exercise professional judgement and take responsibility for the care they provide.
“Physicians have long embraced technologies that improve care, and AI has tremendous potential to provide new tools and insights,” the six societies said in their joint statement. “But patient safety, physician expertise and the humanity of clinical practice must guide how these tools are developed and used.”
“Pitting physicians against technology or suggesting AI should replace physician expertise does not advance this important work,” they added. “We need to move carefully, and we need to get this right. As medical societies representing physicians across the country, we are committed to ensuring physicians help lead the responsible development and use of AI in medicine.”
Kennedy also spoke with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday as part of the event. The HHS chief said, two years ago, he would never have told someone to take medical advice from AI. However, he now believes it would be “malpractice” to make a medical diagnosis without checking the technology. Kennedy touted AI’s ability to digest thousands of pages to reach an informed second opinion.
The summit comes amid growing pressure on the administration to better regulate AI, the Times notes. On Sept. 24, 26 attorneys general wrote to Congress, urging lawmakers to protect Americans from “unchecked AI development.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.