SB 2, An Act Concerning Artificial Intelligence

TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE GENERAL LAW COMMITTEE

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning SB 2, An Act Concerning Artificial Intelligence. CHA opposes the bill.

Connecticut hospitals and health systems care for patients, strengthen the state’s economy, and support vulnerable communities across the state. Every day, they work to improve healthcare access, affordability, and health equity. Even as they face ongoing challenges, hospitals provide world-class care to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospitals also support an exemplary workforce as the largest collective employer in the state, contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and invest in their communities addressing social drivers of health.

SB 2 establishes multiple requirements concerning Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, including requirements impacting healthcare and patient care. CHA believes the bill is unworkable with respect to the new requirements on healthcare.

SB 2, by its own definitions, reaches practically every use of AI in healthcare. The intermingled and confusing language for when AI restrictions and controls might not apply in healthcare are insufficient, confusing, vague, and in many cases will make its application impossible and prevent the use of innovation to improve healthcare. The bill would cause immediate and significant negative impacts on healthcare in Connecticut.

To avoid those negative impacts, if the bill moves forward, CHA urges the Committee to exempt healthcare uses of AI from the bill.

CHA unequivocally supports regulation that would protect the public from fraud, “deep fakes,” scams and schemes, spreading of malicious misinformation or images, and nefarious communications targeting children or vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, SB 2 does not distinguish those blatantly unethical misuses of technology with legitimate development, integration, and deployment of AI and related technologies – including regulating current uses of AI that drive meaningful care delivery improvement, create administrative efficiencies, and promote progress in healthcare.

These are not hypothetical concerns. The following are representative examples of how AI can be used to advance patient care and create efficiencies in healthcare:

  • Flagging imaging abnormalities that can detect cancer faster
  • Predictive technologies to protect against drug diversion
  • Algorithms to optimize patient scheduling including reducing “no shows” that are costly to healthcare and identifying openings for patient appointments that would otherwise go unfilled
  • Assessing medication management, adjusting refill cadence, and early detection of dangerous drug interactions
  • Care simulations and virtual patients (simulations) in medical education to provide students with realistic scenarios for treatment practice

The bill would interfere with all of those uses either by making them infeasible from an affordability and resources perspective, or by adding so much unnecessary red tape that providers will be forced to abandon or limit their use.

Beyond current and known uses, the bill also would interfere with exploration, innovation, and research for future uses of AI.

CHA followed with interest the multiple meetings, working groups, studies, and task forces that did work over the last three years to inform AI regulation in Connecticut. Central and repeated themes and goals expressed by a diverse collection of stakeholders, including experts from the technology and business industries, scholars, higher-education experts, and government officials led to the unmistakable conclusion that Connecticut could be a leader in AI technology if:

  • The right investments were made
  • Laws recognized that business and innovation operated with real world principles
  • There was a balanced approach to stop bad actors from exploiting people while not inhibiting progress or creating an unwelcoming business environment

But SB 2 does not strike a realistic balance between innovative technologies and regulatory oversight. Instead, the bill creates barriers to technology innovation and development. These measures would negatively impact patients and weaken healthcare infrastructure.

As drafted, this bill would make it extremely unlikely that Connecticut can achieve and maintain a vibrant technology ecosystem and lead groundbreaking advancements or attract top-tier talent.

Thank you for your consideration of our position. For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.