UnitedHealthcare's Optum left an AI chatbot, used by employees to ask questions about claims, exposed to the internet

Healthcare company Optum restricted access to an internal AI chatbot after it was discovered to be publicly accessible online without requiring a password. The chatbot, intended as a demo tool for handling patient health insurance claims and disputes, was trained on Optum's internal documents related to standard operating procedures. Although it did not contain sensitive personal information, its exposure raised concerns, especially as its parent company, UnitedHealthcare, faces scrutiny for allegedly using AI to override medical decisions and deny claims. Optum stated that the chatbot was never in production and was only meant to test responses to a small set of SOP documents.

UnitedHealthcare, the owner of Optum, is under criticism and legal action for allegedly using AI to deny patient claims, with reports of patients expressing frustration over denied healthcare coverage. A federal lawsuit accuses the company of using an AI model with a high error rate to wrongfully deny care to elderly patients. UnitedHealthcare has stated its intention to defend itself in court. UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of both UnitedHealthcare and Optum, reported $22 billion in profit on $371 billion in revenue in 2023.

Key takeaways:

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Optum restricted access to an internal AI chatbot after it was found to be publicly accessible online, though it did not contain sensitive personal information.
The chatbot was a demo tool designed to help employees with standard operating procedures for handling health insurance claims, but it was never put into production.
UnitedHealthcare, Optum's parent company, is under scrutiny for allegedly using AI to override medical decisions and deny patient claims, leading to legal action.
UnitedHealth Group, the owner of UnitedHealthcare and Optum, reported significant profits in 2023 despite facing criticism and lawsuits over its use of AI in healthcare decisions.

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UnitedHealthcare's Optum left an AI chatbot, used by employees to ask questions about claims, exposed to the internet | TechCrunch

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