Medical Startup Uses AI to Quadruple Doctor Patient Capacity, Sparking Safety and Bias Concerns

Medical startup Akido Labs deploys AI system ScopeAI to help doctors see 4-5 times more patients by having medical assistants conduct appointments while physicians remotely review AI-generated diagnoses, raising expert concerns about safety, bias, and inadequate testing in clinics serving primarily Medicaid patients.

• Medical startup Akido Labs uses an LLM-based system called ScopeAI to conduct patient appointments through medical assistants, allowing doctors to see 4-5 times more patients by reviewing AI-generated diagnoses and treatment plans remotely
• ScopeAI operates in cardiology, endocrinology, and primary care clinics serving mainly Medicaid patients, transcribing conversations between patients and assistants to generate diagnoses that doctors later approve or correct
• Experts raise concerns about automation bias, health disparities, and lack of rigorous testing comparing AI-assisted appointments to traditional care, while regulatory questions remain about whether the system requires FDA approval