Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the next frontier in technological advancement, with the potential to have a profound impact on our Commonwealth. One area where AI already is in widespread use is healthcare. AI is being used by hospitals and clinicians in patient care, billing and coding, and research and by insurers in claims processing, utilization management, and evaluation of cost-effectiveness of clinical interventions.
 
As AI is rapidly implemented across the healthcare industry, it is important for all Pennsylvanians, and especially patients, to have confidence that this technology is being used in a beneficial manner while minimizing adverse consequences. There is already evidence that AI can reinforce bias and discrimination in healthcare and that insurers, hospitals, and clinicians could overly rely upon AI in their activities without an individualized clinical assessment ultimately made by a human decisionmaker. For these reasons, we will shortly be introducing legislation that would provide the following legislative and regulatory framework for the application of AI in healthcare in Pennsylvania:
 
1. Require transparency to patients and the public as to what circumstances AI is being used by insurers, hospitals, or clinicians.
 
2. Ensure there is an ultimate individualized assessment and decision by a human decisionmaker in any use of AI by insurers, hospitals, or clinicians.
 
3. Require an attestation by insurers or hospitals and clinicians to the Department of Insurance or Department of Health, respectively, that bias and discrimination already prohibited by law has been minimized in their use of AI and provide evidence of how they have made that determination to their respective regulators. 
 
Please join us in this effort to protect patients and provide the guardrails needed to ensure AI is used responsibly and effectively in healthcare in our Commonwealth.