AI scribe falsely claims patient took psychedelic mushrooms

Rebecca Green consented to an AI transcription of her doctor's appointment, hoping to avoid being an "annoying patient." However, the AI scribe fabricated a serious and false claim that she used psychedelic mushrooms, a substance she has never taken.

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I don't want to be in her bad books or be that annoying patient who takes up more of her time.

Green discovered the alarming error when she read a post-operative letter from her urologist to her general practitioner. The letter stated she "micro-dosed mushrooms and that could be the reason for prior bleeding around the kidneys." This false information, unsupported by any evidence, caused Green considerable stress, especially as she was receiving workers' compensation and feared it could impact her case.

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I was gobsmacked and in tears … it made up that I take [psychedelic] mushrooms. I have never done mushrooms in my life.

She expressed feeling that the interaction was impersonal and lacked the expected level of care. Australia's medical practitioners' regulator, AHPRA, has stated that clinicians are responsible for checking all AI output for accuracy. Green questioned why her doctor had not caught the error before sending the letter.

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For this letter to say something that wasn't based in any evidence but could potentially have huge consequences for me … it was quite scary.

The urologist apologized for the mistake, attributing it to a "dictation or transcription process" error, though she could not determine its exact origin. She corrected the correspondence and indicated a review of AI usage in her practice. However, she did not respond to questions about specific changes made. Green worries that others might not detect such errors on their medical records, potentially facing repercussions for their health, careers, or insurance.

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It felt very impersonal to me. I wasn't getting the level of care and familiarity from the doctor that I would be hoping for in such a vulnerable situation.