Here’s how GA is trying to legislate AI that’s used in your health care

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all its promise, have made it a common topic among Georgia health care providers and a growing factor in many medical solutions.

KLAS Research reveals that 79% of healthcare organizations use AI technologies in some capacity and President Donald Trump says he believes AI to be the way of the future. He suggests that AI has “the potential to reshape the global balance of power, spark entirely new industries, and revolutionize the way we live and work.”

Georgia is leading the way in AI-assisted health care and as a result, is actively shaping legislation to regulate the use of AI. These policy changes reflect a cautious acceptance of AI technology that aim to balance innovation with protections for consumers and patients.

Georgia legislation concerning AI

In 2024 and 2025, the state introduced bills that restrict AI’s role in making health care and insurance coverage decisions, requiring meaningful human input before finalizing AI-influenced outcomes.

House Bill 887

One significant bill, HB 887, introduced by Rep. Mandisha Thomas, aims to ensure that AI supports but does not replace human judgment

It also issues some guardrails when employing AI:

• Prohibits healthcare decisions from being made solely based on AI or automated decision tools without meaningful human review.
• Any healthcare decision influenced by AI must be reviewed and subject to override by a qualified individual, according to procedures set by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
• The Medical Board is required to establish rules and disciplinary measures to enforce these standards, including penalizing clinicians who do not comply.
• It restricts the use of AI for insurance coverage decisions and public assistance determinations, applying human oversight 

House Bill 147

Another bill, HB 147, seeks to mandate reporting and disclosure of AI tool usage and hopes to become the foundational governance for AI within the state.

These efforts are part of a wider AI governance effort, developed by the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) aiming to model statewide policies.

This bill will provide a formal, consistent legal definition of artificial intelligence designed to promote transparency, oversight, and responsible AI use in government functions.

• Agencies must disclose specific information, including the AI system’s name, vendor, capabilities, and whether it independently makes decisions without human oversight.
• GTA is responsible for  a comprehensive statewide report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature.
• The GTA must establish policies and procedures for how state agencies procure, assess, and use AI systems.
• Local governments would be required to report their AI use with similar disclosures by the end of 2027.

Direct impacts for Georgia healthcare

While Georgia balances active AI promotion and strict oversights, the state is looking to the new technologies as the way forward. The laws concerning AI prioritize human oversight to prevent misuse, discrimination and errors.

Nucamp, an instructional coding website, discusses some of the pro-AI initiatives.

• Investments in healthcare workplace development for AI literacy
• Research and pilot programs to reduce physician documentation burdens
• Tools to improve disease detection and support virtual nursing programs

What are the ethical concerns?

Artificial intelligence in health care offers tremendous promise but also introduces serious ethical challenges that demand careful attention.

Georgia health care experts have emphasized the risks of perpetuating health disparities due to biased AI training data and stress the importance of privacy, transparency, and human oversight.

Some of the major concerns are:

• Reinforcing existing disparities, especially impacting minority populations 
• Exacerbation of the disproportionate maternal mortality rates in Black women 
• Concerns over patient privacy protections and compliance with HIPAA
• Obtaining informed patient consent in clinical decisions 
• Providing and maintaining AI-focused workforce training understand, manage, and effectively use AI technologies.
• Protection of sensitive data

The proliferation of AI is an unavoidable factor in all industries and Georgia hopes these laws will ensure safer, more transparent applications in healthcare today and in the future.

What are your thoughts about AI in healthcare? Do you feel safer with the new legislation? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.