HHS’s reported AI uses soar, including pilots to address staff ‘shortage’
Summary
The Department of Health and Human Services reported a 65% increase in AI usage in 2025, focusing on addressing staffing shortages and deploying new technologies for various applications.
Why It Matters
This increase in AI deployment at HHS reflects a significant shift towards technology-driven solutions in government operations, particularly in response to workforce reductions. Understanding these developments is crucial for stakeholders in healthcare and policy, as they may impact service delivery and employment dynamics.
Key Takeaways
- HHS's AI usage increased by 65% in 2025, indicating a trend towards greater reliance on technology.
- New AI applications aim to address staffing shortages, particularly in legal and administrative functions.
- Concerns exist regarding the potential replacement of human workers with AI tools, emphasizing the need for careful implementation.
Reported uses of AI increased by 65% at the Department of Health and Human Services in 2025, according to the agency’s latest inventory, indicating even more widespread use of the technology as leadership simultaneously moved to reduce the workforce. New use cases included pilots aimed at alleviating staffing shortages, multiple disclosures of so-called “agentic” tools, and an additional deployment for data related to the department’s work with unaccompanied children. Over half of the uses for 2025 are in pre-deployment or pilot phases, which means most of the applications are just getting started. Valerie Wirtschafter, a Brookings Institution fellow focused on artificial intelligence and emerging technology, said her read on the inventory is that “there’s been a huge focus” on expansion at the agency. And HHS was already among the agencies with larger use case inventories in years past. They’re “leaning into it,” Wirtschafter said. Advertisement The uptick in uses at HHS follows years of dramatic jumps in the health and human services agency’s reported uses of the technology. In 2023, the department’s inventory more than tripled from the previous year, and in 2024, it reported a 66% surge. The latest increase, of course, is set to the backdrop of significant change at the department and an aim by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to do “a lot more with less.” Over the past year, the department moved to restructure bureaus and fire thousands of employees, in line with...
