Source: The Guardian

Companies marketing AI scribe technology say the tools have been used hundreds of millions of times globally in the past 18 months as clinicians seek to reduce administrative burdens. An online poll by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners reported use of AI scribes by doctors nearly doubled from 22% in August 2024 to 40% in November 2025. February 2026 Senate estimates briefing documents obtained under freedom of information laws show the federal health department warned that AI scribes “have little oversight” and highlighted marketing that positions some products as outside regulatory levers or as privacy‑compliant with limited transparency.

The department warned some suppliers’ cloud platforms may send data outside Australia, creating patient data security risks, and said some suppliers advertised a 30% revenue increase for health professionals with no extra hours, which could affect Medicare Benefits Scheme costs. An April briefing from the department’s AI advisory group observed scribes could boost clinician productivity and potentially reduce burnout but share large language model limitations in quality and accuracy, raising concerns for patient safety and clinical accountability. Guardian reporting highlighted variability in how clinicians obtain consent and noted patients’ concerns, including a Melbourne psychiatrist who refused patients unwilling to consent to scribe use. Oversight of the technology is handled by a patchwork of regulators — the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Ahpra and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — and the TGA is undertaking a review to decide whether digital scribes should be classed as medical devices, with a report and summary of outcomes due in coming months. Privacy commissioner Carly Kind said in a May speech her office has been “tracking closely” the rollout and meeting with the RACGP ethics committee and scribe providers.