TLDR: Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and acting CDC director, emphasized that ‘faster is better’ when it comes to artificial intelligence innovation in healthcare. The agency is actively embracing AI to enhance patient care and cost-efficiency, while also deploying AI tools internally for its 60,000 employees and seeking to recruit more tech talent.
Washington D.C. – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is accelerating its embrace of artificial intelligence, with Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill asserting that a rapid approach to AI development and deployment is paramount for the future of healthcare. O’Neill, who also serves as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated, “Safety is important, but if I had to pick, I think faster is better,” highlighting the agency’s commitment to swift innovation.
HHS leaders are expressing strong optimism regarding AI’s potential to empower patients in managing their health conditions and to significantly improve the cost-effectiveness of the healthcare system. The agency is particularly keen on leveraging the private sector to drive new innovations into the market. The Trump administration has signaled a clear directive to expedite health data sharing and the adoption of AI-based tools across the sector.
O’Neill outlined the government’s role as establishing necessary guardrails and building foundational infrastructure, then stepping aside to allow the health tech industry to flourish. This philosophy underpins HHS’s strategy to foster a dynamic environment for AI development.
Internally, HHS is already seeing the benefits of AI integration. O’Neill revealed that a large language model was deployed to all 60,000 HHS employees in September, with thousands now utilizing it weekly to enhance their work, from summarizing documents to various job-specific tasks. “We’re going to continue to increase the use of AI internally as well,” O’Neill affirmed, underscoring the agency’s commitment to operational efficiency through technology. He further noted, “AI is going to play a wonderful and growing role in all aspects of life, definitely including healthcare.”
The push for AI integration is accompanied by a significant recruitment drive. HHS is actively seeking to hire a diverse range of tech professionals, including scientists, data engineers, AI engineers, researchers, and drug reviewers across its departments, including the CDC.
Amy Gleason, a strategic advisor at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), echoed the sentiment of rapid AI adoption. She projected, “I think we’ll see, maybe by the end of four years, a lot of patients will have this AI assistant that they can use every day.” Gleason also highlighted the internal challenges and progress within CMS, noting that when she began her role in January, the agency had only 12 engineers despite thousands of contractors. Both HHS and CMS are now prioritizing the internal use of AI technologies to boost team efficiency, strengthen tech infrastructure, and ensure “faster deliverables.”
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Under the Trump administration, HHS is undergoing a major reorganization focused on data transformation, AI, interoperability, and data sharing. This strategic shift, while involving workforce and budget adjustments, aims to modernize the federal health apparatus and position it at the forefront of technological advancement in healthcare. O’Neill concluded, “I think we’re getting better at involving technology people and trying to leave the specific tech out of policy and let that be guidance later,” indicating a more collaborative and tech-informed approach to policy-making.
