Dr Sarah Townley, Deputy Medical Director at Medical Protection, said:

“We welcome today’s report from the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare and recognise the significant work that has gone into developing it. The recommendations on lifecycle governance, liability and workforce training are important steps towards ensuring AI is used safely and effectively across healthcare.

“We particularly welcome the Commission’s recognition of the risk of clinicians becoming a ‘liability sink’ when AI goes wrong and agree with their observation that healthcare professionals should not be held accountable for risks they cannot realistically manage. Our Closing the AI Liability Gap report argues that responsibility should sit with those best able to control or mitigate the risks.

“However, it’s disappointing to see that the report fails to make specific recommendations on updating existing product liability laws. Clearer, fairer liability would protect doctors from potentially taking the blame for software errors, encourage developers to prioritise safer design and increase confidence in using AI tools, unlocking its potential across the healthcare sector.”

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For further information contact: pressoffice@medicalprotection.org