Copyright STAT

The American Medical Association on Monday announced a new Center for Digital Health and AI to influence how novel technology is used and regulated in health care. The center is one of the first major initiatives from CEO John Whyte, who took the helm of the physician lobbying group earlier this year after seven years as the chief medical officer of WebMD. Whyte told STAT he plans to spend millions of dollars on the new center and is now commencing a search for a new senior vice president to lead the effort. Central to the AMA’s perspective on the technology is the idea that artificial intelligence — which it stubbornly calls augmented intelligence — ought to support the work of physicians, rather than replacing them.