Federation of State Medical Boards Announces New Workgroup on Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Practice
Washington, D.C. —The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) today announced the formation of an FSMB Workgroup on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Medicine, a new initiative aimed at supporting state medical boards as they navigate the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into patient care and the growing range of regulatory sandbox frameworks being proposed and implemented across the country.
The Workgroup is charged with developing a comprehensive report and drafting recommendations and/or model guidelines for use by state medical boards regarding the regulation of AI tools used in the practice of medicine. The Workgroup will place particular emphasis on AI tools that perform clinical functions with limited or no direct physician supervision. The effort builds on FSMB’s 2024 policy guidance on the incorporation of AI into clinical practice and comes at a time when companies are testing the boundaries of how AI may be used in diagnosis, prescribing, and other clinical functions.
“This Workgroup reflects FSMB’s ongoing commitment to working with and supporting state medical boards as they address emerging challenges in medical regulation,” said Christy Valentine Theard, MD, MBA, Chair of FSMB’s Board of Directors. “State medical boards must be equipped with clear, practical guidance to ensure patient safety and uphold standards of care.”
“As AI technologies continue to evolve and expand within healthcare, it is important that innovation and regulation move in tandem so that patients feel safe while gaining access to these new tools,” said Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MACP, President and CEO of FSMB. “State medical boards remain the front line of patient protection, and this Workgroup will help ensure that boards have the tools they need to oversee AI-enabled care, address new risks to safety and quality, and maintain accountability even as technologies become more autonomous and complex.”
In completing its charge, the Workgroup will:
- Assess the current regulatory and evidentiary landscape for AI tools used in patient care, including FSMB’s 2024 policy on the incorporation of AI into clinical practice; regulation of direct-to-consumer (DTC) AI services; AI deployed within health systems and electronic health records; emerging state regulatory sandbox frameworks; relevant research on clinical safety and efficacy; and existing board approaches alongside applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
- Evaluate medical practice and business models involving AI that warrant regulatory attention, including DTC telemedicine and AI-enabled care delivery, AI-driven clinical decision support, and AI tools embedded within health system workflows.
- Identify regulatory gaps and potential risks to patient safety, including risks associated with autonomous or agentic AI performing functions that may fall within the practice of medicine, particularly when operating with limited or no direct physician supervision, as well as risks of non-compliance with existing standards of care.
- Identify regulatory best practices for state medical boards, including practitioner qualifications and oversight responsibilities; patient assessment; informed consent and disclosure of AI involvement in care; documentation; applicable standards of care for AI tools; and compliance with federal and state rules, regulations, and statutes.
The Workgroup will be composed of representatives from state medical boards, subject matter experts, and key stakeholders with expertise in healthcare, regulation, and emerging technologies.
FSMB anticipates that the Workgroup’s findings and recommendations will help inform a consistent, patient-centered regulatory approach to AI across jurisdictions while preserving innovation in healthcare delivery.
Additional details regarding Workgroup membership and timelines will be announced in the coming months.