U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Ambitious AI Strategy

Fri Dec 05 2025 05:41:35 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveils a new strategy to integrate artificial intelligence in enhancing healthcare efficiency, alongside growing concerns about data privacy and risk management.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a new strategy aimed at incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations to streamline efficiency and facilitate innovation in healthcare. While the plan outlines ambitious goals such as a centralized data infrastructure and a 'try-first' culture among employees, experts express concern over the risks associated with handling sensitive health data. Critics question the potential implications of granting tech companies access to personal information and whether robust protective measures will be established under current leadership.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday outlined a strategy to expand its use of artificial intelligence, building on the Trump administration’s enthusiastic embrace of the rapidly advancing technology while raising questions about how health information would be protected.

HHS billed the plan as a “first step” focused largely on making its work more efficient and coordinating AI adoption across divisions. But the 20-page document also teased some grander plans to promote AI innovation, including in the analysis of patient health data and in drug development.

“For too long, our Department has been bogged down by bureaucracy and busy-work,” Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill wrote in an introduction to the strategy. “It is time to tear down these barriers to progress and unite in our use of technology to Make America Healthy Again.”

Experts warned that the administration’s eagerness to modernize government operations does pose both opportunities and risks. As HHS's strategy for AI deployment promises centralized data infrastructure and robust workforce tools, concerns have arisen around how sensitive medical data would be safeguarded, particularly under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Critics in Kennedy’s own “Make America Healthy Again” camp worry about the partnership with tech companies accessing sensitive personal information.

Oren Etzioni, an AI expert, emphasized that while the ambition of HHS's strategy is commendable, it's crucial that safety measures are implemented properly. Darrell West from the Brookings Institution stressed the need to balance operational improvements with privacy protections, particularly regarding the use of aggregated medical data by AI tools. The document indicates that HHS had 271 active or planned AI deployments in the 2024 financial year, with predictions for a 70% increase by 2025. Looking ahead, careful execution of this strategy could serve as a transformative model for efficient and modernized health service delivery.