HHS AI plan looks to the private sector for collaboration

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Public engagement and collaborative partnerships with the private sector “throughout the innovation pipeline” can help ensure that AI tools are being equitably used and deployed, HHS said in its AI strategic plan.

The Department of Health and Human Services is looking “to set in motion a coordinated public-private approach” to enhance health services through the use of artificial intelligence technologies, according to an AI strategic plan released by the agency on Friday.

In a letter accompanying the 198-page document, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm said the successful deployment and adoption of AI tools in the healthcare setting “requires a whole-of-nation approach in partnership with industry, academia, patients and countless others.”

To accomplish this goal, the department’s strategy outlined four priorities: driving AI innovation and adoption; promoting the development of ethical and responsible technologies; making AI tools and resources more accessible; and working to develop AI-trained workforces.

“While the evolving nature of AI will likely challenge regulatory paradigms, HHS will continue to use all available levers, including policy, funding, education and outreach and others to meet the new technological reality and support stakeholders in the health and human services ecosystem,” the plan said. 

HHS said that AI tools could benefit “specific parts of the HHS value chain,” including when it comes to medical research and discovery, product deployment, healthcare and human services delivery and public health. 

The plan noted, in particular, that bolstering public-private action is needed to ensure the adequate sharing of best practices across health- and human services-focused domains. 

“Increasing collaborative partnerships between stakeholders … and intentional public engagement throughout the innovation pipeline could enhance the potential of AI being equitably adopted across medical research and discovery by sharing ideas, approaches, best practices, example applications and key risks to mitigate between groups,” the document said.

HHS added that it has already begun engaging with a variety of stakeholders to streamline practices around the responsible use of AI.

Beyond outlining how AI can benefit health and human services, HHS said the technologies could also be leveraged to enhance its internal operations — although it wrote that officials need to focus “on change management and adaptability” to minimize potential risks. 

HHS reported 271 internal AI use cases in its 2024 inventory submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in December, which the department said represented a 66% increase over its 2023 total. 

HHS has already taken steps to prioritize the use of AI and other emerging technologies across its operations, including reorganizing its internal offices last July to enhance oversight of its technology, data and AI policies and strategies. Last week, HHS also announced that it appointed Meghan Dierks to serve as the department’s permanent chief AI officer.

Micky Tripathi — the assistant secretary for technology policy and national coordinator for health information technology, who previously served as HHS’s acting chief AI officer — told Nextgov/FCW last year that the new joint office would be “thinking about technology and data from a strategic perspective, that it's important to our mission delivery in strategic ways — not IT as a cost.”