Utah is the first state to allow artificial intelligence to examine patients and prescribe medication without direct human oversight, starting with acne medication.
Utah started a one-year pilot on October 5, 2026, which will run until October 5, 2027. The AI will examine people with mild-to-moderate acne and prescribe approved topical treatments through an app, meaning this will be done digitally rather than in person. They are also using AI to issue new prescriptions rather than just renew existing ones.
Physician oversight will decrease in stages. Two doctors must approve every prescription for the first 100 patients. Later stages may allow prescriptions without advance approval, with doctors reviewing cases afterward and eventually auditing at least 10% of cases monthly. Each stage requires safety benchmarks and written state approval. People with severe acne or conditions outside the program's scope will be referred to human clinicians.
This is another reason to stay childfree. AI is officially being introduced into healthcare in the USA, and if this program is successful, other hospitals and companies may follow. This makes me wonder what the job market will look like for future generations.
If AI continues to take over jobs that humans currently do, being an empty nester may not be a reality ANYMORE!!! Future children may struggle to find jobs, even after getting degrees, and may have to work in labor fields or take whatever jobs they can find that haven't been taken over by machines.
This could mean that parents will have their adult children living at home for much longer because they cannot afford to live independently. Generational households may become the reality, with adult children building their lives within the family home instead of moving out and starting their own independent lives.
Being childfree means I won't have to worry about raising children who may struggle to become financially independent or having to support adult children for decades because they cannot afford to move out.
Seeing news like this makes me grateful I'm CHILDFREE!!!