The University of Colorado Anschutz hosted U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado on Oct. 12 for a roundtable discussion with faculty experts about the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Bennet, who has advocated for greater federal oversight of AI and digital platforms, sought input from CU Anschutz experts on how emerging technologies are transforming healthcare and what role the federal government should play in ensuring the safe, effective and responsible use of AI tools.
The roundtable brought together CU Anschutz faculty and healthcare leaders with a broad range of expertise. Their multidisciplinary perspectives highlighted AI’s potential to transform research, clinical care and healthcare access while addressing challenges involving patient safety, ethics, regulation and the future healthcare workforce.
The overarching theme that emerged from faculty members during the hour-long discussion was how AI adoption in healthcare must be guided by scientific rigor, patient safety and thoughtful policy – not technological capability and financial incentives alone.
Transforming discovery, care and access
The group discussed how AI could dramatically accelerate biomedical research, improve clinical decision-making, reduce administrative burdens and extend expertise to underserved communities.
Casey Greene, PhD, professor of Biomedical Informatics, described how AI in research has the potential to reduce significant time delays that occur between lab-based discovery and development of new technologies and drugs with a caveat – the need to keep the experimentation grounded in scientific rigor.
In the clinic, opportunities exist to support clinicians by using AI to remove administrative burdens such as note-taking. AI also has the potential to improve how care is delivered in low-resource settings, such as rural communities. Faculty members also emphasized AI’s potential to reduce administrative waste and help facilitate more meaningful patient interactions.
Expertise represented at the roundtable discussion included:
Artificial intelligence and biomedical informatics
Genomics and personalized medicine
Biomedical and clinical research
Bioethics and healthcare policy
Medical education and physician training
Clinical decision-making and critical care
Medication safety and clinical pharmacy
Infectious diseases and internal medicine
Pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology
Digital health and health information technology
Hospital leadership and healthcare operations
Cybersecurity and patient data protection
Community health and healthcare advocacy
Innovation outpacing evidence and oversight
Andrea Sikora, PharmD, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics, said she is concerned about the lack of regulatory oversight of AI systems. She described how she needs to acquire layers of professional accreditations, certifications and licensures. She also said AI performing medication-related tasks without comparable scrutiny is a concern.
Faculty members also raised concerns about institutional disclosure policies of AI usage with patients, including gaps in obtaining patient consent. Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine, said there are inconsistencies in how institutions across the country disclose AI usage and how they obtain patient consent. Hospital leaders raised concerns about whether financial savings and competitive pressures, rather than patient outcomes, are driving implementation.
Eroding trust, expertise and equitable care
The discussion exposed deeper risks associated with AI implementation, including clinicians losing essential skills, patients receiving AI-generated recommendations without understanding their source, and underserved communities receiving technology as a substitute for human expertise.
The group discussed issues surrounding cybersecurity, bias, accountability and the financial burden of ongoing AI monitoring. Without safeguards, AI could deepen existing healthcare disparities while weakening public trust.
Medical education also emerged as a concern, with faculty members questioning whether reliance on AI could erode the clinical reasoning, independent judgment and interpersonal skills essential to patient care. CU Anschutz educators are exploring how to integrate AI into training without compromising the foundational knowledge and experiences that develop skilled physicians.
Participants in the roundtable discussion included:
Tell Bennett, MD, MS, professor of Biomedical Informatics and Pediatrics
David Brumbaugh, MD, professor of pediatrics-gastroenterology and chief medical officer, Children's Hospital Colorado
Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, professor of Internal Medicine and director of research ethics, Center for Bioethics and Humanities
Amy Feaster, PhD, chief digital information officer, Children's Hospital Colorado
Tom Flaig, MD, professor of Medical Oncology and vice chancellor for research
Casey Greene, PhD, professor of Biomedical Informatics
Andrea Sikora, PharmD, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics
Shanta Zimmer, MD, professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Zach Zaslaw, vice president of advocacy and community health, Children's Hospital Colorado
Guiding policy to support AI’s promise
The discussion highlighted opportunities for policymakers to establish consistent oversight, strengthen transparency and accountability, require rigorous evaluation of AI tools and ensure medical education keeps pace with emerging technologies. For Bennet, the roundtable offered an opportunity to hear directly from CU Anschutz experts about both the promise and risks of AI in healthcare, helping inform his broader efforts to develop policies that protect patients and the public while allowing society to benefit from technological advances.
Key points:
AI could accelerate research, improve patient care and expand healthcare access.
Strong oversight and scientific evaluation are needed to ensure AI is safe and effective.
AI adoption must prioritize patient safety, transparency and equitable care.
Medical education must embrace AI while preserving essential clinical skills.
Federal policies should balance AI innovation with patient protection and accountability.
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