California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken two contrasting actions on artificial intelligence in healthcare, according to MedPage Today's Washington Watch roundup. He signed a law that forbids hospitals from using AI in place of the judgment of licensed healthcare workers, and he vetoed a separate bill that would have shielded clinicians who override automated clinical decision tools.
The signed measure ensures that AI cannot serve as a stand-in for human clinical judgment in hospitals. The vetoed measure, by contrast, would have given legal cover to clinicians who choose to go against an automated tool's recommendation. Together, the two actions mean hospitals must keep licensed workers in decision-making roles, but those workers may not have explicit legal safeguards when they disagree with AI.
The source, which cites Cal Matters, does not provide additional detail on the reasoning behind either decision. The outcome leaves a notable gap: while AI is barred from replacing clinicians, clinicians themselves are not explicitly protected from liability when they override AI.