Health and Human Services Aims to Expand Adoption of AI

Experts said the bold plan was worth celebrating but warned that the government's embrace of AI tools shouldn't come at the expense of safety.

Associated Press

Dec 5, 2025 — 3 min read

Photo of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Nov. 20, 2025, by Rebecca Noble/AP

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2025 (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.”