As AI takes on an expanding role in clinical care, a new report from a joint stakeholder forum outlines key learnings and priorities for modernizing oversight, addressing liability and preparing the workforce.
The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) today released AI and the Practice of Medicine: Examining Accountability and Responsibility in the AI Era, a proceedings report from the organizations' joint forum held Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
The one-day discussion convened representatives of state medical boards, physicians, specialty societies, patients and patient advocates, health systems, technology developers, regulators, policymakers, legal experts and academics to examine a central question: When AI increasingly performs functions historically reserved to a licensed physician, how should physician responsibility and state medical board oversight evolve? The interchange of viewpoints focused on autonomous and semiautonomous AI tools and their implications for clinical responsibility, the role of state medical boards, regulatory approaches and the physician-patient relationship.
"State medical boards exist to protect patients, and that mission does not change as the tools of medicine change," said FSMB President and CEO Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MACP. "As AI begins to perform an increasing number of clinical functions once reserved for licensed physicians, patients deserve clarity about who is responsible for their care and who is accountable when something goes wrong. The symposium brought forward candid and sometimes divergent perspectives, and it made clear that innovation and accountability must advance together.”
The proceedings report synthesizes perspectives shared during the meeting and summarizes several key learnings. For example, AI is already changing how medicine is practiced and will redefine care teams and the physician’s role, though views differ on how quickly. As AI proves able to perform select clinical functions, the line between supporting and practicing medicine becomes critical for oversight and patient protection. The report also finds that existing regulatory, licensure and liability frameworks were not designed for AI and need to be modernized, because patients and medical professionals are adopting AI faster than the health system is adapting.
"Patients and physicians are embracing AI at a remarkable pace, and the questions it raises about responsibility cannot wait," said AMA CEO and Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH. "But there is a difference between automating medical tasks and automating medicine itself. As AI takes on more clinical functions, physicians must help define where that line is drawn so that human judgment, trust and the physician-patient relationship remain at the center of care. This report gives the health care community a shared foundation for that work."
The report also outlines priority areas for future work:
- Establish best practices for appropriate use of AI in clinical care, the evidence needed for adoption in clinical settings, and how organizations should safely deploy and monitor performance.
- Clarify the boundary between clinical technology and the practice of medicine, defining when AI functions as a clinical tool and when it constitutes the practice of medicine.
- Modernize oversight, accountability and liability frameworks, establishing how responsibility for AI-related patient harm should be assigned and clarifying the roles of state medical boards, federal regulators, AI developers, physicians and other stakeholders.
- Prepare the physician and care team workforce by adapting medical education, clinical training, continuing professional development and team-based care models to support responsible AI use.
- Preserve patient-centered care and trust by integrating AI into care delivery in ways that are safe, transparent and equitable, while strengthening the physician-patient relationship and upholding medical ethics.
Building on these themes, the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI and the FSMB Workgroup on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Medicine will continue working with stakeholders to advance the priorities identified as most critical to the future of AI in health care. Through its Center for Digital Health and AI, the AMA is advancing AI governance, economic sustainability and care transformation so physicians take the leading role on shaping how AI is developed and used in medicine. FSMB's workgroup was established to support state medical boards in developing a consistent, patient-centered approach to AI oversight, and it plans to release draft guidance and recommendations for public comment in December 2026, ahead of a formal vote on adoption by the FSMB House of Delegates in April 2027.
The AMA and FSMB thank Manatt Health for its support in organizing and facilitating the convening.
The full proceedings report is available here.
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians' powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises, and driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
About the Federation of State Medical Boards
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is a national non-profit organization representing the medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians, PAs and, in some jurisdictions, other health care professionals. FSMB serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices. FSMB serves the public through Docinfo.org, a free physician search tool which provides background information on the more than 1 million doctors in the United States. To learn more about FSMB, visit www.fsmb.org.
Media Contacts
AMA: Robert J. Mills | robert.mills@ama-assn.org | (312) 464-5970
FSMB: Joe Knickrehm | jknickrehm@fsmb.org | (202) 601-7803