AI boom sparks a lobbying boom

May 31, 2024

By Erin Schumaker, Daniel Payne and Ruth Reader

WASHINGTON WATCH

Public Citizen President Robert Weissman wants to see more guardrails to protect consumers from AI. | Getty Images

Lobbyists say they’re doing a lot of work on artificial intelligence in health care, according to a new report from the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

The group found that the health care sector is among the industries with the most lobbyists — at 179 — engaged on AI, our Ben Leonard reports. That’s about 5 percent of all lobbyists who said they work on issues related to the new tech.

Why it matters: It’s not clear what all the lobbying is about. Federal lobbying disclosure forms aren’t very specific, but Public Citizen expects it has to do with potential regulation of the technology.

“As federal agencies move forward with developing guardrails for AI technologies, stakeholders will likely rely even more on their lobbyists to shape how AI policy is formed,” the group said in the report.

The bigger picture: The lobbying blitz comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill mull regulating artificial intelligence in the sector — something Public Citizen is lobbying for — though Congress doesn’t appear close to passing a bill soon. Lawmakers have broadly focused on ensuring AI doesn’t cause unnecessary harm and incentivizing innovation and research.

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The Food and Drug Administration plans to release guidance this year on using artificial intelligence to develop new drugs, an agency official said this week.

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CHECKUP

A pharmacist looks up records while filling a prescription | Getty Images

Cancer doctors want patients to have the right to opt out of treatment with AI. | Getty Images

Ethically incorporating artificial intelligence into cancer care is a tall order.

That’s according to a small survey published in JAMA Network Open, in which researchers asked oncologists whether they thought patients should have to consent to AI’s use in their cancer treatment.

The survey of 204 U.S.-based oncologists was conducted from November 2022 to July 2023.

By the numbers:

— 85 percent of the oncologists said that while they need to understand how AI tools work, their patients didn’t necessarily need to.

— 81 percent of the oncologists said patients should have the right to opt out of AI’s use in their treatment.

— 47 percent of the oncologists thought liability related to AI’s use in medicine should be doctors’ shared responsibility, while 91 percent thought AI developers should be responsible.

— 77 percent of the oncologists said they felt responsible for protecting their patients from AI bias, but only 28 percent felt confident in their ability to do so.

The responses were at times paradoxical, the researchers wrote, pointing to the oncologists’ view that patients don’t need to understand AI but should have the option to refuse its use.

There was also a gap between oncologists’ perceived responsibility to protect patients and their ability to do so.

“Together, these data characterize barriers that may impede the ethical adoption of AI into cancer care,” the researchers wrote.

Why it matters: For now, it’s not clear who should be held liable when AI harms patients, for example, by providing an incorrect diagnosis or suggesting an inappropriate treatment. And, as Daniel reported earlier this year, health care quality, patient rights and millions of dollars in malpractice payouts are at stake.

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POLICY PUZZLE

Sugary drinks are pictured. | AP Photo

When prices rise, people seem to drink less. | AP Photo

A tax on sugary drinks appears to be working in the fight against childhood obesity, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

How so? Researchers reviewed the effects of a $1.75-per-ounce tax that Seattle imposed on sweetened beverages in 2017.

They found Seattle kids had lower average body mass index, a measure of weight compared to height, after the tax was implemented compared with children in areas without a tax.

Why it matters: Obesity is a growing concern for doctors and policymakers, given its association with a number of chronic conditions.

Data showing the effectiveness of a tax on sweetened drinks could attract more policymakers to pursue similar policies.

Even so: The study didn’t track the number of sweetened beverages consumed, which researchers conceded weakened the association between the tax and the decrease in kids’ BMI. Other factors could have played a role.

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