# States Move to License AI Doctors as FDA Steps Back

> Source: <https://letsdatascience.com/news/states-move-to-license-ai-doctors-as-fda-steps-back-a5ecafe8>
> Published: 2026-07-07 20:00:48+00:00

The rise of autonomous clinical chatbots tests the boundary between state medical licensure and federal device regulation, a development that affects how practitioners govern deployment, monitoring, and patient safety. According to PYMNTS, Utah launched the nation's first AI-powered prescription refill program in January, partnering with startup Doctronic to let a chatbot renew certain chronic medications; PYMNTS and the Associated Press report the pilot covers about **190** refillable drugs. STAT's May 11 opinion by Alon Bergman and a January Penn LDI briefing by Senior Fellow Bressman and co-authors both frame the FDA's current SaMD process as poorly matched to adaptive generative systems and propose licensure-style oversight. PYMNTS and The Verge report that security researchers were able to manipulate the Doctronic system to alter opioid dosing and generate misinformation, and PYMNTS/AP report Utah regulators voiced safety concerns after the pilot launched.