A New Proposal to the FDA: Should Clinical AI Be Licensed Like Physicians Instead of Regulated as a medical device?
A New Proposal to the FDA: Should Clinical AI Be Licensed Like Physicians Instead of Regulated as a medical device?
A new JAMA article proposes that advanced clinical AI may eventually require physician-like licensing rather than traditional FDA software regulation.
The proposal includes:
• AI should pass medical licensing exams similar to the USMLE and specialty board-like exams
• “Specialty”-specific certification
• Supervised “residency-like” training program
• Time-limited licensing with periodic recertification
Example:AI could help collect patient history and suggest next steps, but would not prescribe medications independently.
The broader message:
Advanced clinical AI may eventually be regulated more like supervised healthcare professionals than simple software.
Source: JAMA Opinion Article (covered by HealthExec)
Published: May 23, 2026
https://healthexec.com/topics/
Link:https://jamanetwork.com/
