The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced the establishment of the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI, created with a clear goal — to ensure that physicians have a voice and influence in how digital and AI solutions are designed, regulated, and integrated into healthcare practice.
“Augmented intelligence will be a defining force in the future of health care, but right now we are barely scratching the surface of its potential. Digital health tools are everywhere and the technology has limitless opportunity, but if you don’t understand clinical practice or clinical workflow, even the best tools will never be fully implemented,” – said AMA CEO & Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH.
The Center will focus on four key areas:
– Policy and regulatory leadership: Working with regulators, lawmakers, and technology leaders to shape standards for the safe and effective use of AI in medicine.
– Clinical workflow integration: Ensuring physicians can influence how digital and AI tools are implemented in medical practice so that they support rather than hinder clinical work.
– Education and training: Equipping physicians and healthcare systems with the knowledge and tools to use digital and AI technologies effectively and responsibly.
– Cross-sector collaboration: Building partnerships among the technology, research, government, and medical sectors to ensure innovations address real patient and physician needs.
These efforts are particularly significant given that, according to AMA research, around 66% of U.S. physicians already use AI tools in their clinical practice (as of 2024) — a sharp increase from 38% in 2023. This underscores the need for physicians to be directly involved in shaping these technologies and the legal frameworks surrounding their use.
Many doctors still express skepticism toward AI’s role in healthcare, and without proper regulation and physician participation, that lack of trust is unlikely to change.