President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Oct. 30 addressing his administration’s security concerns surrounding the dramatic rise of artificial intelligence — and proclaiming the technology must be governed.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) holds extraordinary potential for both promise and peril. Responsible AI use has the potential to help solve urgent challenges while making our world more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure,” the order reads. “At the same time, irresponsible use could exacerbate societal harms such as fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation; displace and disempower workers; stifle competition; and pose risks to national security.” 

Though much of the executive order relates to cybersecurity and AI use in non-health care sectors, SHP’s Michelle Mello, a professor of health policy and professor of law, and her Stanford Medicine coauthors write in this JAMA viewpoint the executive order has several provisions that affect health-care organizations.  

“The order directs federal agencies to vigorously enforce existing laws to combat AI uses that constitute unfair or deceptive business practices, privacy violations, or discrimination,” writes Mello, PhD, JD; Nigam Shah, MBBS, PhD; and Danton Char, MD. “Given concerns about unfair applications of AI tools in health care delivery and insurance coverage, health care facilities and insurers could find themselves in the bullseye of law-enforcement efforts. Other cross-sectoral activities, such as promoting competition among AI developers and supporting workers through AI-related workforce disruptions, will also touch health care.”

The commentary reflects ongoing research to develop an ethical review process of AI in medicine, supported by a grant from the Stanford Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) and Stanford Health Care. 

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