The Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled an enterprise strategy to advance the development and application of artificial intelligence across common mission areas in an effort to meet the evolving needs of U.S. citizens.
The HHS AI Strategy calls for the department to establish an AI council to help communicate the department’s AI vision and ambition and implement the enterprise strategy and strategic priorities with regard to the technology.
The HHS AI Council will specifically set and carry out priorities, cultivate partnerships with public and private entities, provide governance support and sponsor a community of practice comprised of AI practitioners.
Nextgov reported a chair and co-chair will lead the AI Council as it implements the strategic priorities in the document. Oki Mek, recently named chief AI officer at HHS, said he will serve as the council’s co-chair and the chair will be a senior official who will report directly to the HHS secretary.
Operating and staff division leaders across the department will comprise the rest of the council.
“AI Council members should be deeply familiar with the mission and operations of their respective Op/StaffDiv and have demonstrated experience with or interest in artificial intelligence,” Mek said. “The composition of the AI Council should include a variety of both technical and non-technical perspectives.”
The council will identify and back priority initiatives within four key focus areas: develop an AI-ready workforce and strengthen AI culture; encourage health AI innovation and research and development; democratize foundational AI tools and resources; and promote ethical, trustworthy AI use and development.
“This strategy lays the foundation upon which the AI Council can use to drive change across the Department by encouraging the application of AI to promote advances in the sciences, public health, and social services—improving the quality of life for all Americans,” the document reads.
