HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — On the same day the Shapiro administration announced it was suing Character.AI, accusing the firm of falsely claiming its chatbot was a licensed physician, the Pennsylvania House Communications and Technology Committee advanced legislation that would regulate artificial intelligence in healthcare.
The bill comes from Democratic state Rep. Arvind Venkat, a licensed physician who said he saw firsthand the value of AI in healthcare in his practice. “But the challenge with AI,” he said, “is that unlike previous technological developments in healthcare, it purports to approach human intelligence, and it is a black box decision-making technology.”
Venkat’s bill would require disclosure of when AI is used in healthcare decisions and an annual verification that all privacy and anti-discrimination laws are being followed.
“For our constituents, for patients, for the insured, I think it is absolutely critical that we move forward with this legislation as a framework of what we want to see in requirements related to artificial intelligence and health care,” he said.
However, some supporters wondered if the bill could stifle progress and medical advancement, while others are worried it’s too narrowly focused on AI use in healthcare. Five Republicans joined all Democrats in voting in favor to advance the bill out of committee, including minority chair Republican state Rep. Jason Ortitay.
“I want to keep the process moving,” he said. “I will be voting in favor of the bill with the understanding that we're going to continue to work through this process over the next month until we're back in session.”
