Meet the EV Truck That Costs $24,950

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Many companies are struggling to scale their AI deployments or even move them past the pilot stage. Often the problem isn't technology, but organizational misalignment around goals, processes, and incentives. At the break, join Caroline Roach, a senior partner at IBM Consulting, to learn why.

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (0:15)
Hey, TNB listeners.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:16)
Have you ever seen a post on social media that you thought was real, only to later realize it was AI generated?

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (0:22)
We want to hear from you. What did you see? Why did you believe it? How did you feel afterwards? Shoot us an e-mail to tnb.wsj.com, or leave us a voicemail at 212-416-2236. That's 212-416-2236.
Or if you're a listener on Spotify, drop us a comment in this episode.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:45)
You may hear yourself on the show, and we may reach out to hear more about your experience. We hope to hear from you.

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (0:51)
Now on to the show.

**Belle Lin** (0:56)
Welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Friday, June 26th. I'm Belle Lin, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute.
AI doctors might be considered a stretch now, but they may not be so far off. Utah is experimenting with using AI chatbots to refill prescriptions. But some doctors aren't so happy about it. We're diving into what this pilot program could mean for the future of AI and healthcare.
Then, cheaper cars are on everyone's mind. But what about an all-electric pickup truck with hand crank windows and no radio? That's the bet one startup is making. We take a look at the new truck and the question of if car buyers will be along for the ride.
But first, the battle over AI doctors is here, and Utah is at the front line. The state recently kicked off a pilot program that has set off a wide range of reactions from actual doctors, many of whom are displeased. And what's happening in Utah is just one sign of what's to come, as many other states consider bills that could block or help enable AI acting like licensed physicians. WSJ reporter Anna Wilde Mathews is here to tell us more. So Anna, can you quickly walk us through this pilot program and what it entails?

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (2:25)
So the pilot program in Utah launched in January.
And the idea behind it is that technology from a company called Doctronic, sort of AI-powered technology tool, will be able to renew prescriptions by itself for patients who live in Utah who want their prescriptions renewed. Right now, it's not in that phase yet. Right now, each prescription that the technology renews still gets reviewed by a human physician before it goes to the pharmacy. But in later phases, the idea is for the AI to be able to do that on its own.

**Belle Lin** (3:01)
There were some Doctronic studies released by the state of Utah last month. Could you tell us a little bit more about what the results showed?

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (3:09)
They didn't actually reveal how many patients have gone through the process yet. But what they said is that the AI system approved 72 percent of the prescription renewal requests. The rest of the time, it didn't approve them and escalated it to a doctor because there was maybe missing information like a lab test or something. For the prescriptions that the AI did suggest be renewed, the doctors who were reviewing it agreed with that recommendation 91 percent of the time.
And in the other 9 percent, they said more information was needed. In that 9 percent of cases, a second doctor looked at that. And in the end, what they said is 3 percent overall of the AI prescription renewal approvals were rejected by both of the physicians.

**Belle Lin** (3:54)
And some doctors are pretty unhappy about this program. Why are they not satisfied with the idea that AI could be used to refill prescriptions?

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (4:03)
Well, the state's medical board has pushed back on the project. They actually called for it to be suspended at one point. And members of the board who I talked to and other doctors as well, expressed concern that really renewing prescriptions seems like it's simple, but it's actually not. And it's really a pretty important job that doctors do.
And they want more information about how the technology works, and what is the evidence that it's safe and it's effective. And they're concerned, they say, about the safety of patients.

**Belle Lin** (4:36)
Besides in Utah, where else has there been pushback against AI acting as a physician?

**Anna Wilde Mathews** (4:42)
There have been bills introduced in a couple of different states. Idaho is one of them that would create a new type of clinical license that AI technologies could get to perform some health care related functions. On the other side, in other states, there have been bills introduced that would ban AI from doing any job that is reserved for a licensed physician. So that's starting to play out.