Your doctor’s AI notetaker may be making things up, Ontario audit finds
Your doctor’s AI notetaker may be making things up, Ontario audit finds
Publish Date: 2026-05-14 13:28:00
Source Domain: arstechnica.com
- AI medical scribes are increasingly used by overworked doctors to automatically summarize patient encounters but have shown significant inaccuracies.
- An audit in Ontario revealed that AI scribes suggested by the provincial government often generate incorrect, incomplete, or hallucinated content that may adversely affect patient health plans.
- The auditor general’s report reviewed transcription tests across 20 approved AI scribe vendors, uncovering widespread issues with all 20 in terms of accuracy or completeness.
- Notably, nine vendors produced content that hallucinated information, often fabricating nonexistent referrals or therapy needs.
- Twelve vendors misrecorded information, including prescription names, while seventeen missed critical details about discussed mental health matters.
These findings suggest substantial concerns regarding the reliability and safety of AI scribe technology in healthcare settings.
