Six physician medical groups are speaking out after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described AI as offering “a second opinion that is much better informed than any doctor in the country,” and has the power to “free us from medical tyranny.”
At the MAHA Summit in Washington, D.C., where Mr. Kennedy made the comments, he also claimed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told him physicians would be committing malpractice if they diagnosed a patient or prescribed treatment without first consulting AI. Mr. Kennedy framed AI as a tool patients could use to challenge guidance from public officials and medical experts.
“Statements suggesting AI is inherently better informed than physicians, or that physicians cannot be trusted to make clinical decisions without first consulting this technology, diminish physician expertise and risk undermining patients’ trust,” the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons and American Medical Association said in a Sept. 30 joint statement.
“Physicians have long embraced technologies that improve care, and AI has tremendous potential to provide new tools and insights. But patient safety, physician expertise and the humanity of clinical practice must guide how these tools are developed and used. Pitting physicians against technology or suggesting AI should replace physician expertise does not advance this important work. We need to move carefully, and we need to get this right.”
The groups said they are committed to ensuring physicians help lead the responsible development and use of AI in medicine.
Mr. Kennedy’s remarks come amid growing pressure to strengthen AI regulation and criticism of HHS for funding healthcare AI projects too quickly. The summit also is facing criticism from longtime supporters of Mr. Kennedy after they learned that the event’s sponsors included OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies that may potentially do business with HHS.
