The opposite day, a doc shared that she’s been utilizing AI to assist script movies for her YouTube channel. One other mentioned it shaved hours off her critiques. Another person even used it to map out a brand new enterprise thought.
These tales have gotten extra widespread. AI is right here, and it’s serving to physicians transfer sooner, suppose greater, and stretch past scientific work.
However with each “wow” second comes a bit voice behind your head: Wait… is that this even authorized?
Copyright complications. Deepfakes. Affected person privateness considerations. And let’s not neglect the nice print nobody reads on these AI platforms. It’s simple to really feel excited and uneasy on the similar time.
Right here’s the excellent news: you can use AI confidently with out placing your license, model, or enterprise in danger. You simply want just a few clear tips.
Beneath are 5 golden guidelines that can assist you use AI confidently whereas staying distant from lawsuits.
Disclaimer: Whereas these are common strategies, it is essential to conduct thorough analysis and due diligence when choosing AI instruments. We don’t endorse or promote any particular AI instruments talked about right here. This text is for instructional and informational functions solely. It’s not meant to offer authorized, monetary, or scientific recommendation. At all times adjust to HIPAA and institutional insurance policies. For any selections that impression affected person care or funds, seek the advice of a professional skilled.
Rule 1: Personal (or Correctly License) What You Put Into AI
U.S. copyright regulation protects unique human-created content material. That features your photographs, movies, audio, slides, and written materials. In case you feed content material into an AI system that you don’t personal or license, chances are you’ll be creating an infringing “by-product work,” even when the ultimate output appears to be like totally different.
The U.S. Copyright Workplace is actively learning how AI coaching and use interacts with copyright and has confirmed that conventional copyright rules nonetheless apply to AI. You possibly can see this of their Copyright and Synthetic Intelligence initiative and associated coverage steering.
Dangerous examples:
- Importing an expert headshot of a well known doctor speaker into a picture generator to create “humorous” variations for advertisements.
- Coaching or fine-tuning a mannequin utilizing query banks, board supplies, journal PDFs, or textbook pages which are below license.
- Feeding affected person photographs, movies, or voicemails right into a non-HIPAA-compliant AI device, even for “inner testing.”
Safer practices:
- Use solely content material you created or content material with clear licenses (public area, CC0, or correctly bought inventory).
- Use AI instruments that let you choose out of mannequin coaching in your inputs.
- Deal with something containing PHI as fully off-limits for shopper AI instruments.
If you wouldn’t add it to a public web site below your title, don’t add it into an AI system.
Rule 2: Deal with AI Output as a Draft, Then Add Your Experience
One of many greatest authorized questions proper now could be whether or not AI outputs could be copyrighted. The U.S. Copyright Workplace has repeatedly emphasised that human authorship is required for copyright safety, and that purely AI-generated works can’t be copyrighted below present regulation.
A federal appeals courtroom just lately agreed, upholding the Copyright Workplace’s refusal to register a piece created fully by an AI system with out human involvement.
On the similar time, the Copyright Workplace has clarified that works created with AI help could be protected if there’s sufficient human creativity in the way you edit, choose, prepare, or modify the AI output. That’s summarized in its 2025 report on AI and copyright and echoed by authorized commentators. See, for instance, this overview from Wiley: Generative AI in Focus: Copyright Workplace’s Newest Report.
What this implies for you:
- Use AI to provide a primary draft, not a completed product.
- At all times revise, reorganize, and add your individual evaluation, examples, and scientific perception.
- Ensure that your contributions are substantial sufficient that the work is clearly “yours” and never simply the mannequin’s.
If you wish to construct a long-term model, course, or publication round your content material, that degree of human authorship is crucial.
Rule 3: Do Not Use AI to Impersonate Actual Individuals’s Faces or Voices
Deepfake and impersonation legal guidelines are evolving shortly in the USA. A number of states have handed legal guidelines focusing on misleading AI-generated audio or visible media, particularly round elections and different delicate contexts, and extra are coming.
On prime of that, the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) has particularly warned in regards to the dangers of AI voice cloning, which is being utilized in scams the place criminals impersonate relations, bosses, or public figures. The FTC’s shopper alert, “Preventing again in opposition to dangerous voice cloning”, highlights how lifelike and harmful these instruments have change into.
Excessive-risk behaviors to keep away from:
- Cloning a colleague’s or mentor’s voice with AI to “shock” your viewers.
- Producing an AI video that intently mimics an actual individual’s face, physique, or mannerisms with out consent.
- Utilizing AI to make it seem {that a} affected person, employees member, or one other doctor mentioned or did one thing they didn’t.
Even when your intent is instructional or humorous, you’ll be able to run into state “deepfake” legal guidelines, right-of-publicity claims, or common misrepresentation points.
Safer practices:
- Use AI instruments that create clearly artificial faces that aren’t based mostly on actual individuals.
- Use your individual voice and likeness, or an expert actor who has signed a transparent launch that features AI use.
- Clearly label any AI-generated media when it’d confuse viewers.
If the content material may make an inexpensive individual suppose it’s a actual individual talking or performing, it’s best to have express written permission.
Rule 4: Learn the AI Software’s Phrases Earlier than You Depend on It
That is the least glamorous however most sensible rule.
Totally different instruments deal with possession, coaching, and privateness very otherwise. Some offer you broad business rights to make use of outputs. Others preserve extra management or retailer extra of your knowledge. The FTC has repeatedly signaled that AI corporations should honor their privateness and confidentiality commitments and could also be required to delete fashions educated on unlawfully obtained knowledge. See, for instance, the FTC’s steering to AI corporations on privateness and confidentiality commitments: “AI corporations: Uphold your privateness and confidentiality commitments”.
Earlier than you decide to a device for your small business or content material, test:
- Who owns the output? Do you’ve got full business rights, or is it restricted?
- Can the corporate practice in your knowledge? Is coaching choose in, choose out, or obligatory?
- How is your knowledge saved and for the way lengthy? Particularly essential for something remotely delicate.
- Is the device acceptable for healthcare? For something involving PHI, it’s essential to use HIPAA-compliant instruments and a Enterprise Affiliate Settlement.
Talking of HIPAA, the HIPAA Privateness Rule units nationwide requirements for shielding people’ medical data and different identifiable well being info. HHS summarizes these protections right here: HIPAA Privateness: For Professionals.
If the device’s phrases are unclear or really feel too broad, assume it isn’t the precise place for any patient-related or delicate info.
Rule 5: When in Doubt, Get Written Consent or Stroll Away
Consent is your most secure authorized protect.
Even exterior of HIPAA, U.S. regulation more and more treats biometric identifiers like face and voice as delicate private knowledge. A number of states have biometric privateness legal guidelines, and new federal legal guidelines have begun to deal with non-consensual intimate deepfakes. As an illustration, the federal “Take It Down Act” signed in 2025 targets non-consensual intimate pictures, together with AI-generated ones, and requires platforms to take away them shortly.
Inside healthcare, HIPAA’s Privateness Rule requires coated entities to guard identifiable well being info and limits when it may be used or disclosed with out authorization.
Excessive-risk conditions the place it’s best to pause:
- You wish to use a affected person’s story, voice, or picture in any AI-assisted content material.
- You might be contemplating importing clinic recordings, operative movies, or WhatsApp voice notes from sufferers into an AI device.
- You propose to generate or improve content material that features employees, colleagues, or relations.
Finest practices:
- Use written consent types that explicitly point out AI instruments, artificial media, and on-line publication.
- When consent just isn’t potential or sensible, totally de-identify and keep away from any picture, voice, or video that could possibly be linked again to an actual individual.
- When you have a lingering “this feels off” sensation, take heed to it.
When doubtful, it’s virtually at all times safer and simpler to create a de-identified instance or use a purely fictional situation.
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Suggestions for AI Generated Pictures, Voice, Video, and Textual content
AI Picture Technology
- Use descriptive prompts about ideas, not actual individuals.
- Keep away from recreating branded logos, sports activities staff marks, or copyrighted characters.
- Verify that the device’s license permits business use if pictures will seem in a ebook, course, or paid program.
AI Voice Technology
- By no means clone somebody’s voice with out written permission.
- Watch out utilizing artificial voices for any medical instruction. A human clinician ought to at all times evaluate the ultimate script and audio for accuracy and tone.
- Do not forget that voice could be handled as a part of an individual’s “likeness” for right-of-publicity claims.
AI Video Technology
- Don’t feed affected person or employees movies into shopper AI platforms.
- Keep away from semi-realistic avatars that resemble particular people except they’ve given consent.
- Label AI-generated instructional movies clearly so learners perceive what’s actual footage and what’s simulated.
AI Textual content Technology
- Truth-check each scientific or monetary declare. AI can hallucinate citations or invent research.
- Add your individual perspective, nuance, and examples so the content material displays your actual experience.
- Keep away from pasting in giant chunks of licensed textual content from journals or textbooks and asking AI to “rewrite” them.
Last Ideas
AI is usually a highly effective device for physicians. It might make it easier to save time, generate concepts, streamline your work, and even open doorways to new revenue streams. However like several highly effective device, it comes with sharp edges.
If you wish to use AI with out placing your license, fame, or enterprise in danger, stick with the 5 golden guidelines:
- Personal or license what you set in
- Deal with the output like a primary draft and at all times add your experience
- Don’t impersonate actual faces or voices
- Learn the phrases and privateness insurance policies
- When doubtful, ask for consent (or stroll away)
And above all else, don’t skip an important step: do your homework. Test the whole lot. Confirm details. Cross-reference sources. Simply because a device is quick doesn’t imply you ought to be. Due diligence will at all times be your finest safety.
You don’t need to worry AI. You simply need to respect the method. Use it correctly, keep curious, and keep in mind, your judgment remains to be your biggest asset.
Now go construct one thing superior!
By the way in which! To make AI even simpler for you, we’ve put collectively one thing particular:
Obtain The Doctor’s Starter Information to AI – a free, easy-to-digest useful resource that walks you thru good methods to combine instruments like ChatGPT into your skilled and private life. Whether or not you are AI-curious or already experimenting, this information will prevent time, stress, and perhaps even a bit sanity.
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Disclaimer: The data offered right here is predicated on obtainable public knowledge and will not be fully correct or up-to-date. It is really useful to contact the respective corporations/people for detailed info on options, pricing, and availability. All screenshots are used below the rules of truthful use for editorial, instructional, or commentary functions. All emblems and copyrights belong to their respective house owners.
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