The program is limited in scope and can only prescribe medication for acne.

Robot medical help is fairly common in sci-fi, ranging from Baymax in Big Hero 6 to the surgical bots in Star Wars that put Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader’s infamous black armor. Now, a subscription service in Utah has deployed the first AI doctor that can actually prescribe medication. 

Healthcare startup Nolla Health focuses primarily on skincare and acne treatment, and subscriptions cost $5 per month. According to Bloomberg, a patient uses an app to scan their face and fills out forms giving their medical history. AI software then analyzes the patient’s face and generates an acne severity score. If the scan and medical information indicate it, the patient receives a prescription for treatment from a list of eight approved treatments.

The pilot program is slated to last one year, Bloomberg reports. The first 100 prescriptions will be overseen by a board-certified physician before being sent to pharmacies. If that works, the next phase will allow the AI to fully treat 400 patients, with a physician reviewing the bot’s decisions weekly. The third phase involves the physician auditing at least 10% of written prescriptions once per month. 

A Nolla Health representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Michelle McOmber, CEO of the Utah Medical Association, told CNET in an email that Nolla Health didn’t need the Utah Medical Association’s approval to run this pilot program.

“We never talked with them,” McOmber says. “The Office of AI Policy did have a short conversation with our current president, who is a dermatologist.

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