Utah approves AI pilots for automated prescriptions and virtual pelvic therapy

Utah regulators are betting big on artificial intelligence by approving a controversial new round of healthcare pilots that could eventually allow computers to hand out prescriptions and care plans with zero human review. On Friday, Utah's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy greenlit three new programs designed to test automated medicine in the Beehive State. The approvals include a pilot with Nolla Health, a developer of a dermatology app that assesses acne from patient photographs and will test prescribing initial topical drugs to adults. At first, two human doctors will review every script, but later stages will drop the human step to post-approval only. Another approved pilot comes from August AI, which will use an artificial intelligence system to renew prescriptions for people suffering from chronic conditions. A third program from Expect Fitness will offer virtual pelvic floor therapy for women dealing with urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and postpartum issues. None of these freshly approved pilots have actually launched yet, and companies must secure written approval from state regulators before transitioning to phases with reduced human oversight. Utah's Artificial Intelligence Learning Laboratory, also known as the artificial intelligence sandbox, was established by state law in 2024 to give private companies a supervised environment to test their tools before scaling. But these experiments are causing massive heartburn among doctors in the state. Earlier this year, regulators launched a Doctronic artificial intelligence pilot to renew medications without clinician oversight, triggering furious pushback from the state's medical licensing board, which complained they were kept in the dark and warned that patients could receive outdated medications. Experts like Stanford University professor of law and health policy Michelle Mello have also warned that murky contracts leave liability wide open if an artificial intelligence prescription error injures a patient. Regulators refused to hit pause, and they are pushing ahead even faster. Meanwhile, federal regulators are also busy cracking down, with the Food and Drug Administration sending warning letters to drugmakers over misleading advertisements. Here is what this means for you. If you run a business or manage your family's health insurance, the massive push toward automated medicine means the rules on prescriptions, telehealth, and liability are shifting fast under your feet. Expect to see artificial intelligence creeping into your doctor visits and medicine refills sooner rather than later.