AMA issues 7 principles for augmented intelligence development, deployment, and use

The American Medical Association (AMA) has introduced seven pivotal principles aimed at guiding the development, deployment, and utilisation of augmented intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Representing a significant stride towards establishing a consistent governance structure for healthcare technology advancements, these principles form the foundation for the AMA's advocacy on AI. They underscore the organisation's steadfast commitment to championing the implementation of national governance policies that prioritise ethical, equitable, responsible, and transparent development and deployment of AI.

Ensuring the ethical and responsible implementation of AI in healthcare, AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, recognises the immense potential of healthcare AI in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, treatment outcomes, and patient care. However, he emphasised the need for a proactive and principled approach to oversee and govern healthcare AI due to its transformative power, ethical considerations, and potential risks. 

These newly introduced AMA principles will guide the organisation's engagement with the administration, Congress, and industry stakeholders, shaping discussions on the future of governance policies for regulating healthcare AI.

Key Principles for AI Governance:

• Oversight: The AMA advocates for a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to implement governance policies, acknowledging the role of non-government entities in appropriate oversight and governance of healthcare AI.
• Transparency: Emphasising transparency as essential for building trust among patients and physicians, the AMA calls for mandated disclosure of key characteristics and information throughout the design, development, and deployment processes.
• Disclosure and Documentation: The AMA stresses the importance of appropriate disclosure and documentation when AI directly impacts patient care, access to care, medical decision-making, communications, or the medical record.
• Generative AI: To manage risk associated with generative AI, the AMA calls on healthcare organisations to develop and adopt policies preemptively, addressing and minimising negative impacts before adoption and use.
• Privacy and Security: Aligned with the AMA's Privacy Principles, robust measures are prioritised to protect patient privacy and data security. AI developers are urged to design systems with privacy in mind, and safeguards are crucial against cybersecurity threats for reliability, resiliency, and safety.
• Bias Mitigation: The AMA advocates for proactive identification and mitigation of bias in AI algorithms to ensure a fair, inclusive, and discrimination-free healthcare system.
• Liability: The AMA will advocate to ensure limited physician liability for using AI-enabled technologies, adhering to existing legal approaches to medical liability.

Addressing AI in Payor Decision-Making, the AMA urges safeguards to prevent reduced access to care and advocates for stronger regulatory oversight, transparency, and audits when payors employ automated decision-making systems for coverage, claim determinations, and benefit design.

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