Artificial Doctors May Need Some Good Artificial Lawyers -- Can Intelligence Really be Artificial?

A recent post highlighted how artificial intelligence (AI) is already playing important roles in health care, and concluded that expanded use of AI may be ready for us before we are ready for it. One example of the kind of problem we'll face is: who would we sue if care that an AI recommended or performed went wrong? Last week Stanford's One Hundred Year Study On Artificial Intelligence released its 2016 report, looking at the progress and potential of AI, as well as some recommendations for public policy. The report urged that we be cautious about both too little regulation and too much, as the former could lead to undesirable consequences and the latter could stifle innovation. One of the key points is that there is no clear definition of AI, because "it isn't any one thing."