“In a first for the U.S., Utah is letting artificial intelligence — not a doctor — renew certain medical prescriptions. No human involved.

The state has launched a pilot program with health-tech startup Doctronic that allows an AI system to handle routine prescription renewals for patients with chronic conditions. The initiative, which kicked off quietly last month, is a high-stakes test of whether AI can safely take on one of health care’s most sensitive tasks and how far that could spread beyond one AI-friendly red state.

It also serves as an early check on how far policymakers and patients are willing to trust AI over trained doctors in decision-making. By inserting algorithms into one of medicine’s most fundamental relationships, Utah’s initiative could represent the first step in upending how care is delivered in the U.S.

That raises new questions about the safety of automating prescription refills, including how they should be regulated. So far, the Food and Drug Administration has not weighed in on Doctronic’s program. If the agency determines it has authority to regulate this use of AI, it could complicate or slow its expansion.”

From Politico.