Californians Sue over AI Tool That Records Doctor Visits

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Several Californians sued Sutter Health and MemorialCare this week over allegations that an AI transcription tool was used to record them without their consent ...

Posted by LampLighter at 07:33 PM | 13 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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-- Ars Technica (@arstechnica.com) Apr 10, 2026 at 5:43 PM

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More from the article ...

... According to the complaint, this system "captured and processed their confidential physician-patient communications. Plaintiffs did not receive clear notice that their medical conversations would be recorded by an artificial intelligence platform, transmitted outside the clinical setting, or processed through third-party systems."

The complaint adds that these recordings "contained individually identifiable medical information, including but not limited to medical histories, symptoms, diagnoses, medications, treatment discussions, and other sensitive health disclosures communicated during confidential medical consultations."

In recent years, Abridge's software and AI service have been rapidly deployed across major health care providers nationwide, including Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, and many more.

When activated, the software captures, transcribes, and summarizes conversations between patients and doctors, and it turns them into clinical notes. (This reporter gave his consent for its use during multiple medical visits at Kaiser facilities in Northern California over the last two years.) ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-11 11:06 PM | Reply

@#1

I had a recent visit to my primary care physician. Among the ~mounds~ of things I had to agree to was a simple statement ... ~will you allow AI to record your conversations with the PCP so that the PCP does not have to spend time typing in your responses?~

Misleading, imo, I'd say, yes.

Now that I read this article, i have to wonder, how will my medical information be sold?

Will it make me more or less able to buy life insurance?

How will my health insurance rates rise?

And if I tell my PCP that I am a trans, will Pres Trump come after me?

etc ...

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-11 11:12 PM | Reply

No, but if you dress like a couch VD Prance will.

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-04-12 02:01 AM | Reply

"will you allow AI to record your conversations with the PCP so that the PCP does not have to spend time typing in your responses?"

This has already been happening for at least twenty years. I worked at a company later purchased by Nuance (which I believe was in turn purchased by Apple) that used speech to text software to transcribe medical records. We didn't call it AI back then, but this is the same function.

#4 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-12 01:26 PM | Reply

Generally, I'm in favor of anything that promotes the Dr actually listening to me, rather than scribbling notes during the conversation or trying to remember the highlights after they've left the room. Mine has always asked as we start our encounter about the recording.

#5 | Posted by morris at 2026-04-12 08:52 PM | Reply

__________
#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-11 11:06 PM
~will you allow AI to record your conversations with the PCP so that the PCP does not have to spend time typing in your responses?~

It's a basic speech-to-text, which is now on almost every phone or most devices with microphone. It's been available for quite a while and used to produce transcripts in medical and other industries to save time and/or labor, and has nothing to do with AI. Almost everything that was done by "computer" just a few years ago is now done by "AI" - it's a new buzzword.

Now that I read this article, i have to wonder, how will my medical information be sold?

Same way it was "sold" before. Some of your records will be processed by computer software, with or without the help of "AI", for billing, insurance and, if needed, provide assistance in diagnosis, course of action, etc.

Will it make me more or less able to buy life insurance? How will my health insurance rates rise?

Depends on what you told your doctor.

And if I tell my PCP that I am a trans, will Pres Trump come after me?

Depends. If Trump sees you and likes your new looks, he'll scream "Surrender!", will "grab you by the p***y" and will try to "TAKE your 'oil'!"
__________

#6 | Posted by CutiePie at 2026-04-12 09:28 PM | Reply

"It's a basic speech-to-text, which is now on almost every phone or most devices with microphone."

And it's still PHI and it's still subject to HIPAA.

#7 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-12 09:36 PM | Reply

__________
#4 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-12 01:26 PM
I worked at a company later purchased by Nuance (which I believe was in turn purchased by Apple) that used speech to text software to transcribe medical records. We didn't call it AI back then, but this is the same function.

Most popular STT program was developed by Dragon Systems, which was bought by infamous Lernout & Hauspie, which was then bought out of bankruptcy by Visioneer/Nuance (a name rebrand by ScanSoft after acquiring Nuance) part of which was later acquired by Microsoft.
__________

#8 | Posted by CutiePie at 2026-04-12 09:58 PM | Reply

My doc has an, "Overfed, long-haired, leaping gnome" following him around behind a tall PC cart on wheels taking notes and looking at records.

I've never seen his face. He's like Cousin It with glasses, only taller.

#9 | Posted by Corky at 2026-04-12 10:02 PM | Reply

#4 | POSTED BY SNOOFY
#8 | POSTED BY CUTIEPIE

Nuance was in Apple's Siri.

#10 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-12 10:38 PM | Reply

And it's still PHI and it's still subject to HIPAA.

#7 | POSTED BY SNOOFY

Nuance exposed patient data... 50,000 or so.

#11 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-12 10:40 PM | Reply

and has nothing to do with AI.

It could, as it AI can correct the "text processed" in the S2T, using a the model.

#12 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-12 10:41 PM | Reply

Almost everything that was done by "computer" just a few years ago is now done by "AI" - it's a new buzzword.

AI methods are doing "signal processing" for instance the back tap in iOS and Android, could/would be done via old fashioned signal processing, today its done by modeling the data and other metadata about the context.

So its a little more than a buzzword.

#13 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-12 10:44 PM | Reply