CNA-Sponsored Bills Aim to Protect Patients and Healthcare Workers from Untested AI Technologies
In a pivotal step for patient safety and the integrity of healthcare practices, union nurses from the California Nurses Association (CNA) have commended the advancement of two bills designed to impose strict regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. These legislative measures aim to safeguard both patients and healthcare workers from the deployment of untested AI tools, while holding developers accountable for their implementations.
The new legislation sets a benchmark that can inspire similar standards in other fields, ensuring that worker protections against AI technologies are prioritized, especially within healthcare.
“Together, these bills introduce essential safeguards for both patients and healthcare staff against the rapid and often reckless integration of AI in our workplaces,” stated Sandy Reding, RN and president of the California Nurses Association. “Our work environments are frequently inundated with new AI technologies, often without our awareness. While nurses and healthcare professionals welcome technology that enhances our work, we recognize that our employers’ primary motive is profit. They aim to use AI not to support us, but to minimize staff costs at the potential risk of patient safety.”
Assembly Bill 1979, introduced by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, ensures that healthcare providers cannot replace the clinical judgment of licensed professionals with AI. It also mandates that companies offering AI healthcare applications that access medical records adhere to California’s stringent medical confidentiality regulations.
Assembly Bill 2575, authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, requires healthcare entities to disclose the use and methodology of AI in patient care. It affirms the clinical judgment of healthcare workers, allowing them to override AI recommendations without fear of retaliation. Furthermore, this bill ensures that AI developers and implementers cannot easily evade responsibility for any harm caused by their technologies, preventing the scapegoating of healthcare professionals involved with the AI.
“In healthcare, AI should serve to enhance clinical judgment, not supplant it,” remarked Assemblymember Ortega. “I am proud to sponsor A.B. 2575 to ensure that no healthcare worker feels compelled to choose between the safety of their patients and fear of repercussions when questioning AI systems.”
“No machine can replicate the judgment, empathy, or personal touch of a nurse,” added Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, a co-sponsor of A.B. 2575. “AI tools are unregulated, not bound by healthcare privacy laws, and lack the ethical commitment to ‘do no harm.’ A.B. 2575 guarantees that AI tools remain under human control and do not displace our workforce.”
The two bills are scheduled for discussion in the Assembly Appropriations Committee next month.
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United stands as the largest and fastest-growing union and professional organization representing registered nurses in the country, boasting over 100,000 members across more than 200 facilities in California, and encompassing over 225,000 RNs nationwide.
