Artificial intelligence presents myriad opportunities to improve public health—but we must demand responsible policies that emphasize true harm reduction. As the integration of AI into healthcare accelerates, GPH students and faculty alike seek to understand its potential, so the house was full for guest speaker Dr. Humayun "Hank" Chaudhry, President and CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards. A double alumnus of NYU Arts and Science, Chaudhry drew on his experiences as a physician and county health commissioner to explore the current role of AI in clinical care.
Tracing the rise of AI from 1956, Chaudhry acknowledged the broader public health implications of our lightning-quick adoption of AI and the problems that can arise, starting with environmental consequences such as water and noise pollution from data centers, as well as questions of sustainability. He also discussed the personal consequences from heavy usage of AI, including the risk of "cognitive surrender," wherein AI does most everything instead of people using their own cognitive abilities, and he urged users to also understand the privacy and data security implications of sharing their lives with AI. Chaudhry emphasized that human oversight remains critical at this stage, due to the high rate of inaccuracy that often accompanies AI, especially in clinical care. And he called for incorporating principles of diversity and equity early in the implementation process, so that algorithms do not reinforce and perpetuate existing healthcare inequalities.
Despite the pitfalls, Chaudhry noted the undeniable potential benefits of using AI in healthcare, such as in AI-assisted documentation and AI-based clinical decision support, which may augment human expertise and improve healthcare efficiency. He advocated for state medical boards to recommend that physicians maintain accountability for clinical decisions that are also recommended with AI, and he urged documenting both agreement and disagreement with AI-based recommendations. Chaudhry also discussed enterprising legislative proposals for autonomous AIs that could practice medicine independently, a concept that was unthinkable only a few years ago. And he emphasized that AI in healthcare extends beyond direct physical care, with a myriad of public health applications, especially focusing on disease surveillance, such as the research being conducted by GPH faculty member Rumi Chunara.
Chaudhry concluded by reflecting on his career in public health. As the Suffolk County health commissioner during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, he was responsible for the health of 1.5 million residents. His frontline experience made clear the persistent workforce shortage and, over time, the solutions he has witnessed. An example is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which streamlined licensing requirements for physicians across participating states. And he promoted telemedicine as an example of how healthcare and technology can go hand in hand. Chaudhry observed that for every scary moment in public health, there are positive moments where you can make a difference.
