AI Disagreement Raises Liability Stakes for Radiologists

Jurors are more likely to find radiologists at fault if AI detects an abnormality they miss, but transparency about AI error rates can mitigate this effect.

Key Details

• Study evaluated over 1,300 mock jurors using vignettes of missed brain bleeds or cancer diagnoses.
• Jurors sided with plaintiffs 72.9% (brain bleed) and 78.7% (cancer) when AI flagged missed findings, versus 56.3% and 65.2% with no AI.
• Disclosure of AI's false omission (1%) or false discovery (50%) rates reduced perceived radiologist liability.
• If both radiologist and AI missed abnormality, jurors were less likely to fault the radiologist (50% for brain bleed, 63.5% for cancer).
• Providing AI error rates had stronger mitigating effects for brain bleed cases than for cancer.

Why It Matters

As AI tools become more integrated into radiology workflows, awareness of their error profiles and transparent communication may have significant legal implications. The findings can inform how radiologists document and present AI results to reduce liability risk in diagnostic misses.

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