The federal health department has raised concerns about the use of AI scribes by doctors as the health regulator considers the need for safeguards around the technology.
AI scribe tools record, transcribe, and summarize conversations between doctors and patients for medical notes, experiencing rapid adoption in the past 18 months.
According to an online poll by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), adoption of AI scribes by Australian doctors nearly doubled from 22% in August 2024 to 40% in November 2025.
Companies offering the technology report hundreds of millions of global uses in the same period, as practitioners seek to reduce administrative burdens during patient consultations.
The federal health department has identified gaps in oversight, noting AI scribes “have little regulatory control” and highlighting risks around data security and patient consent practices.
Digital scribes are only classified as medical devices under the Therapeutic Goods Act if they serve a therapeutic function, a categorization that some providers may deliberately avoid.
The department warned that some suppliers market the tools as privacy-compliant with limited transparency, while others may unknowingly transfer patient data outside Australia, creating security vulnerabilities.
There are also concerns about how AI scribes could impact healthcare costs, with some platforms promising 30% revenue increases for providers without requiring additional workload or patient time.
While AI scribes may enhance productivity and reduce clinician burnout, they share limitations with other large language models in terms of accuracy and reliability, raising patient safety concerns.
Variation in how clinics obtain patient consent for AI scribe use has also been identified as a critical issue.
“Consumers must understand both the benefits and risks of this technology before agreeing to its use,” stated Dr. Elizabeth Deveny of the Consumer Health Forum.
Patients have reported instances where doctors refused care unless they consented to AI scribe implementation, according to recent reports.
Regulatory oversight in Australia involves multiple agencies, including the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
The TGA is currently reviewing whether AI scribes should be classified as medical devices, with results expected in the coming months.
Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind has been monitoring the technology’s rollout, meeting with ethics committees and providers to address concerns about consent protocols and privacy policy disclosures.
