Initiative overview
The HHS AI Strategic Plan presents a high-level framework to guide the adoption and use of artificial intelligence across health, human services, and public health in the United States. It emphasises that AI will affect nearly all aspects of these systems and should be deployed to deliver tangible benefits for individuals, including better health outcomes, improved service delivery, and increased efficiency.
The plan is structured around four overarching goals: catalysing AI innovation and adoption, promoting trustworthy and responsible AI use, democratising access to AI technologies and resources, and cultivating an AI-ready workforce. These goals are intended to improve quality, safety, accessibility, equity, and outcomes across health and human services, while ensuring that AI is used as a support tool rather than a replacement for human decision-making.
The strategy is organised across several domains covering the full ecosystem, including medical research and discovery, medical product development, healthcare delivery, human services delivery, and public health, as well as cross-cutting areas such as cybersecurity and internal operations. For each domain, the plan outlines opportunities for AI use, current trends, risks, and action plans, including policy, funding, infrastructure, and education measures.
A key feature of the plan is its emphasis on balancing innovation with risk management. It identifies risks such as algorithmic bias, data privacy breaches, and potential safety concerns, and highlights the need for governance frameworks, regulatory oversight, transparency, and human oversight. Ensuring equitable access, protecting sensitive data, and maintaining public trust are presented as central conditions for successful AI deployment.
Finally, the plan adopts an adaptive and evolving approach, recognising that AI technologies are rapidly advancing. It proposes continuous monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and iterative updates to policies and actions, with the objective of coordinating efforts across public and private actors and ensuring that AI contributes to improved health, well-being, and service outcomes for all Americans.
