Kinney Drugs is scaling back its AI assistant after customers reported incoherent calls, wrong dosages, and missed prescription notifications. The AI, named Burt after the pharmacy chain’s founder, launched in May to handle patient prescription and refill communications. However, issues surfaced quickly, as first reported by VTDigger.

"But one thing I want to point out is getting privacy and security right does not mean we got the experience right. We did not, and we own that," said John Marraffa, Kinney Drugs President. He explained the company will revert to its old touch‑tone phone system for incoming patient calls while keeping Burt for outbound refill texts, which patients must opt in to receive. Concerns also arose over data privacy and potential exposure of personal health information.

Marraffa asserts that Burt remains fully HIPAA compliant, is not open‑source, and does not generate or manipulate data. Kinney will continue using the bot for outbound communications only, ensuring patients retain control over receiving messages. Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.

The rollback highlights the challenges of integrating AI into sensitive healthcare services and underscores the need for robust testing and clear patient consent mechanisms.