Californians Sue over AI Tool That Records Doctor Visits

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#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'!"
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#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.
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#10 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-04-12 10:38 PM
Nuance was in Apple's Siri.

Yes, and Nuance software was licensed and embedded in many other phones and software packages. The company, Nuance Communications, was bought by Microsoft in 2022 for almost $20B, after some parts were spun off.

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

About 45,000 in 2018, it was due to a 3rd-party cloud data storage cyber breach. Nuance reported it to FBI contacted all patients, only 900 were possibly affected : "The DoJ found that the information was not used or sold for any purpose and that all the data had been recovered."

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

Using "AI" model to "correct the text processed" is horribly expensive overkill, as it's been successfully done by software well known as a "spell-checker" for decades.

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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.

Again, very expensive processing overkill unless you absolutely, positively need extremely fast processing of huge amount of precise RT data... and the reason why it's being replaced by much faster much cheaper algorithmic discrete components.

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So its a little more than a buzzword.

Real-world AI applications exist, obviously. What most companies advertise and most people started to refer to as "AI" today is just a buzzword for what people previously called "computers" / "technology" / "software" / "algorithm" etc. depending on their level of sophistication and the target audience they addressed.
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#17 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-13 12:42 AM
Why'd you construct this entire persona just to try to argue with me, anyway?

1. What "construct" and "persona" are you talking about? You sound incoherent, like Trump.

2. Last thing on my mind is to "argue" with you... or one of your "rabbit holes" / "weaves" on a matter that is irrelevant to discussion about Nuance software or company, or AI.

#19 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-13 12:42 AM
Hoping you got the memo.

Pretty sure, I got the memo - let me guess, tequila again?

Go to sleep and have a good night (Please and Thank You).
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#22 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-13 12:11 PM
The article specifically mentions Abridge AI, which looks like more than just a speech-to-text converter

Abridge is just one of many vertical healthcare software companies known as "ambient AI" - they integrate various client-facing "AI" processes with the usual back office software functions, like automated scheduling, billing, organizing data and analytics : www.heidihealth.com - What is Ambient AI? Ultimate Guide for Clinicians

|------- ... 5 of the Best Ambient AI Tools for Doctors
Healthcare professionals prioritize patient care quality above anything else. To foster relationships with patients, ambient AI tools lessen their workload by listening in the background and taking in clinical information. Thinking broadly, the "always on" concept of ambient AI provides a wide range of use cases in healthcare, including:

1. Ambient AI Transcription and Dictation
Medical transcription is the first and major feature common among ambient AI providers. Hospitals and clinics can now easily reduce human error in documentation by using ambient AI scribes.

An ambient AI scribe, such as Heidi, offers live transcription of patient conversations, capturing speech word-by-word. This transcript is visible in a panel, and Heidi's AI-enabled note generation streamlines your workflow even further. ...

4. Automated AI Billing & Insurance ...

5. Ambient AI Practice Management
The future of ambient AI in clinics will handle everything from appointment scheduling to staff coordination and logistics. It will take care of smart staff shifting and recommend available slots with data from clinicians' AI-assisted notes.

Heidi Comms automates routine phone calls like follow-ups and appointment confirmations so physicians can focus on patients. ...
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Part 1 covers what you described in your #1 post:
~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?~

My response was:
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.

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.

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Not everything that glitters is gold; not everything that today's marketing people call "AI" is actually AI.

Some articles that could be interesting for you to help understand the marketing hype vs reality:

www.forbes.com - What 'The Pitt' Gets Right And Wrong About Generative AI In Medicine - Forbes, 2026-02-03

www.wired.com - The Pitt Finally Offers a Stark Warning on AI in Medicine - Wired, 2026-02-19
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