What a doctor-led commission recommends for regulating medical AI 

iStock.com/ Antonio Marca

By Erin Dean

At a time of rising unease about explosive growth of AI, a new report suggests “L plates" for new healthcare tools, tougher penalties for manufacturers and more.

Ever since AI exploded into popular use in 2022, it seems there has been nonstop news coverage of its use – and in medicine that has meant everything from its promise for easing pressure on harried clinicians to improving diagnoses of a wide range of conditions.

Any new innovation – including AI – needs to earn its place and earn our trust

The coverage reached fever pitch in early September as leading figures at the helm of Anthropic, OpenAI and other firms voiced concerns that the technology was rapidly outpacing our ability to control it – or be confident that without close and specific regulation we can effectively wield it for good.

As the dispute roared on in recent days, US president Trump denounced the fears as a “hoax” and forged ahead with plans to introduce more AI into healthcare.