Australian Government Warns of Privacy Risks in Doctors' Growing Use of AI Scribes
The Australian federal health department has raised concerns about the rapid adoption of AI scribes by doctors, citing lack of oversight and potential data security risks, as use nearly doubled in 15 months.
Federal health department documents obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws reveal growing concern over doctors' use of AI scribe tools. These tools record, transcribe, and summarize patient consultations for medical notes, and their popularity has surged in the past 18 months.
According to an online poll by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), use of AI scribes by Australian doctors nearly doubled from 22% in August 2024 to 40% in November 2025. Companies offering the technology say it has been used hundreds of millions of times globally as doctors seek to reduce administrative burdens.
The department noted that AI scribes "have little oversight" and are classified as medical devices only if they serve a therapeutic purpose. "Anecdotally, some are marketed as outside regulatory levers (e.g., not a medical device) or as privacy‑compliant, often with limited transparency," the department stated. "Some suppliers may be unaware their cloud platforms send data outside Australia, raising risks for patient data security."
The department also highlighted that some suppliers advertise a 30% revenue increase for health professionals with no extra hours or consultations, which has implications for Medicare costs. While AI scribes can improve productivity and potentially reduce burnout, they are subject to the same quality and accuracy limitations as other large language models, affecting patient safety, clinical accountability, and data integrity.
Dr. Elizabeth Deveny, chief executive of the Consumer Health Forum, said the documents show consumers and government are asking the same questions. "The public deserves to know if that time means better care, better access, or if it just means more billable activity," she said. Patients have reported doctors not seeking adequate consent; one psychiatrist refused patients who would not consent to an AI scribe. Deveny noted the forum increasingly hears from patients told to find another provider if they refuse consent.
Oversight of AI scribes is handled by a patchwork of regulators including the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The TGA is reviewing digital scribes to determine whether they should be classed as medical devices, with a report expected in coming months. Privacy commissioner Carly Kind said her office has been "tracking closely" the rollout, engaging with RACGP ethics committee, providers, and civil society groups concerned about consent and privacy.
