The rapid transformation artificial intelligence (AI) is driving in both healthcare and government services has created new opportunities for federal agencies to address pressing health challenges. With the announcement of its new AI strategy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has committed to bringing AI to both back-office processes and service delivery to “accelerate breakthroughs in precision medicine, drug development, and public health.”
In today’s news roundup, we share how HHS agencies are using AI and other technologies to streamline workflows, foster innovation, and deliver exceptional service.
Five Pillars Form an AI Foundation for HHS
A series of executive orders has shaped the federal government’s AI strategy since generative AI entered the technology landscape in 2022. Using these directives and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, agencies have worked to establish their own AI strategies for deploying new technology to support mission goals. HHS announced its strategy in December 2025, revealing the five-pillar approach that will guide AI usage across all its departments and programs.
The five pillars—governance and risk management, infrastructure and platform design for user needs, developing the workforce and reducing burdens, fostering health research and reproducibility, and modernizing care and public health delivery—will shape the practices and use cases HHS develops to empower its workforce and drive innovation across the department. “For too long, our Department has been bogged down by bureaucracy and busy work; even the most productive public servants are mired in paperwork and process,” said Jim O’Neill, former deputy secretary of HHS. “We will harness AI technologies to streamline operations and enhance support for care delivery throughout the entire health care industry.” The strategy aims to expand access to shared tools and data and accelerate manual approvals, claim adjudications, and grant review processes.
Want to learn more about the five pillars guiding HHS AI usage? Click here.
A Multi-Pronged Approach to Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
When considering the latest technologies and solutions, federal agencies’ limited budgets, responsibility as stewards of public funds, and time constraints mean that every new application or use case needs to support mission outcomes. Reducing fraud, waste, and abuse remains a top priority for federal agencies, and it also happens to be an area in which emerging technologies can shine. Agencies like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which was recently tasked with eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse by an executive order, can employ technologies like AI in concert with other avenues for fraud detection and prevention in a multi-pronged approach.
Dale Smith, Director, Workforce and Unemployment Insurance Programs at TCS – Tata Consultancy Services, parent company of Tata America International Corporation, shared that modern fraud protection relies on deep data analysis, powered by AI and machine learning, to reference data across various repositories and detect patterns and anomalies. AI will be able to generate even more powerful insights if agencies also invest in data management and governance, ensuring that data is both validated and usable. As common fraud tactics evolve and detection becomes more difficult, a fraud protection strategy that comprises both detection and prevention will help agencies mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse and free up agency resources to provide a better experience for legitimate applicants.
To learn more about the technology that can help identify and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse, click here.
FDA Launches New Agentic AI for Employee Use
Most government agencies have begun to explore AI’s potential, and some are already employing chatbots, analytics, and other use cases to transform service delivery and help leaders anticipate challenges. But a new form of AI is once again reshaping how government operates. Agentic AI systems are capable of more sophisticated planning and decision-making than predictive or generative AI, making them valuable assets for organizations with limited staff and resources.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced its own agentic AI system, deployed across the agency and available for all employees. The announcement follows the launch of Elsa, a generative AI solution, in June 2025. Despite concerns that the new system will experience similar accuracy challenges to Elsa—users reported that the model was prone to hallucination—FDA officials are confident that the agentic AI solution is well-equipped to enable complex workflows and assist with meeting management, reviews and surveillance, and compliance and administrative functions. The agentic AI deployment fits into FDA’s broader AI strategy to streamline the ways in which FDA ensures the safety and efficacy of regulated products.
For more on FDA’s new agentic AI, click here.
