The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its AI Strategy recently, outlining how the department plans to embed AI in internal operations, research, and public health, advancing its commitment to leverage emerging technologies to boost efficiency, drive innovation, and improve patient outcomes.

It calls on all HHS divisions including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and others to build a unified, department-wide AI infrastructure designed to streamline workflows and strengthen cybersecurity.

The AI Strategy is based on the following five pillars:

• Ensure governance and risk management for public trust.
• Design infrastructure and platforms for user needs.
• Promote workforce development and burden reduction for efficiency.
• Foster health research and reproducibility through gold standard science.
• Enable care and public health delivery modernization for better outcomes.

HHS adds that the five pillars will be reviewed and updated as needed to ensure the Department maximizes the impact of AI technologies.

“AI has the potential to revolutionize health care and human services, and HHS is leading that paradigm shift. By guiding innovation toward patient-focused outcomes, this Administration has the potential to deliver historic wins for the public — wins that lead to longer, healthier lives,” said Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.