The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently unveiled a 20-page strategy aimed at enhancing the efficiency of its operations while promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across its divisions. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill described the initiative as a “first step” and emphasized the need to eliminate “bureaucracy and busy-work” to effectively leverage technology in public health efforts.
The strategy reflects a broader trend within the Trump administration, which has encouraged federal employees to utilize AI tools, including chatbots, in their daily functions. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, significant advancements in generative AI prompted an executive order to establish guidelines for its use. However, the Trump administration had previously rescinded that directive and has focused on reducing obstacles hindering AI implementation.
Experts are divided about the implications of HHS’s AI strategy, viewing both potential advancements and considerable risks. Critics have raised concerns about whether the health department will uphold stringent standards necessary for safeguarding sensitive patient data, particularly under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some within Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement have expressed unease about tech companies accessing personal health information.
The newly released plan promotes a “try-first” culture intended to empower staff through AI, with the department making the widely used AI model ChatGPT accessible to all employees. Central to the strategy are five key pillars: establishing a governance framework to manage risks, developing AI resources for departmental use, enhancing employee training in AI tools, funding programs to define standards in research and development, and integrating AI into public health and patient care systems.
According to the strategy, HHS divisions are already exploring ways to employ AI to provide personalized health guidance by securely analyzing and interpreting patient medical records in real time. However, there is skepticism about the department’s ability to navigate the complexities of using AI for health data analysis, given its previous criticism for lapses in data privacy. HHS faced backlash after disclosing Medicaid recipients’ personal health information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Safeguarding Sensitive Data
Oren Etzioni, an AI expert and founder of a nonprofit focused on combating political deepfakes, acknowledged the promise of HHS’s plan but cautioned against prioritizing speed over safety. “The HHS strategy lays out ambitious goals—centralized data infrastructure, rapid deployment of AI tools, and an AI-enabled workforce—but ambition brings risk when dealing with the most sensitive data Americans have: their health information,” he stated.
Etzioni pointed out that while the strategy’s intent to implement “gold standard science,” conduct risk assessments, and promote transparency in AI development are commendable, he remains doubtful about the department’s capacity to meet these standards under Kennedy’s leadership, which he claims has often disregarded rigorous scientific principles.
Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, underscored the lack of details surrounding the strategy’s risk management promises. “There are a lot of unanswered questions about how sensitive medical information will be handled and the way data will be shared,” he said, adding that while safeguards exist for individual records, protections for aggregated data analyzed by AI tools are less robust. “I would like to understand how officials plan to balance the use of medical information to improve operations with privacy protections that safeguard people’s personal information,” he added.
Despite these concerns, West noted that, if implemented thoughtfully, HHS’s AI strategy could transform the agency into a more efficient and modernized entity. The strategy outlines that HHS already has 271 active or planned AI implementations for the 2024 financial year—a number projected to increase by 70% in 2025, signaling a significant shift toward AI-driven operations in healthcare.
See also
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Delhi Government Launches AI Training Program for 6th to 9th Graders, Starting December
OMB Releases AI Memoranda Mandating Federal Agencies to Publish Strategies by 2025
