By AMIRA BROWN
We are entering the era of a cyberpunk future. A new law could soon replace your doctor with AI to facilitate the prescription of drugs.
David Schweikert, Arizona’s House Representative (H.R.), proposed a law to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to elucidate that, “artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can qualify as a practitioner eligible to prescribe things”.
Currently, the average medical practitioner has to undergo 11 to 12 years of education after high school before being deemed qualified in just one field of medicine and being able to practice independently. In contrast, AI is able to easily take on new tasks in a wide array of fields, weighing out limitations and catalyzing efficiency.
AI in its current developmental stage, is already capable of interpreting medical imaging such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans within software or tools referenced as DeepMind, and Zebra Medical Vision. With new developments, artificial intelligence is capable of providing fast assessments and analysis while quickly filtering to give a valid diagnosis for patients at a rate that the current medical field cannot compete with.
A social concern with the development of AI within the medical field is how easy it is to be exploited. H.R. has discussed the possibility that patients would inevitably manipulate AI into prescribing addictive drugs without any oversight or current preventative measures.
Dr. Riaz Chaudry has been a pulmonologist for the past thirty years and has witnessed the development of technology first-hand. “I studied medicine all around the world, in Pakistan as well as in the States, witnessing various techniques and protocols, however, I could not imagine AI being implemented into medicine within my lifetime.” Dr. Chaudry is an NYU graduate who takes a traditional approach within his practice. “As times have changed and new software has been developed, I always have found myself going back to traditional medicine. New advancements are great, but being able to work when systems shut down, or knowing information at the top of your head is important and keeps the medical field efficient. I constantly see new doctors coming into the field relying on developmental properties and not being able to provide a standard skillset themselves. Technological advancements, including AI, are going to be the demise of the medical field since it is building reliance and striving away from being proficient in your field, however, it is still important to advance technologically to eliminate error while also applying limitations to make patient care optimal.”
Alexah Nodruft, a current C TECH student in the nursing program, took on a different perspective. “AI honestly can help me become a better person as I develop into my career, limiting mistakes, and keeping me informed with new developments. As the world expands and immerses itself into new technological advancements.” Nodruft went on to mention some fears of hers, imagining if she and AI came to two varying conclusions for a patient and how they would decide to move forward. “I heard about AI concluding in regards to patient evaluations which is great, but it is difficult to trust something that does not illicitly mention the steps it took to make that decision. Some systems are different and will show the exact pathway it took, however those that do not should not have any place within the medical field.”
Currently beyond pharmaceuticals, AI is projected to be used as a second opinion in the field of medicine, relying on doctoral opinion as the priority.
AI is capable of providing a level of efficiency to the medical field that humans cannot compete with, however, with the restrictions put in place now there are many ways for this positive to be manipulated and used for harm. It is important to embrace technological advancements, however, a discussion needs to be had regarding restrictions and limitations put on AI to keep patients safe and eliminate errors.
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