Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has mandated that all Department of Health and Human Services employees begin using ChatGPT, according to an internal email sent Tuesday titled “AI Deployment.” The directive comes amid significant backlash against Kennedy’s leadership, with over 1,000 current and former HHS employees calling for his resignation in an open letter citing actions that “endanger the nation’s health.”
What you should know: The ChatGPT deployment will be overseen by HHS’s new Chief Information Officer Clark Minor, a former employee of Palantir, a data analytics company.
- Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill sent the email stating that “artificial intelligence is beginning to improve health care, business, and government” and the department is “committed to supporting and encouraging this transformation.”
- The tool is available to all HHS workers effective immediately, with some divisions like the FDA and Administration for Children and Families already using large language models.
- O’Neill emphasized the tool could help “promote rigorous science, radical transparency, and robust good health,” quoting Kennedy as saying “The AI revolution has arrived.”
The big picture: Kennedy’s controversial tenure has included firing thousands of staff members and criticizing HHS vaccine programs, leading to mass departures from top CDC positions in protest.
- The new CDC director is O’Neill, who previously worked for conservative billionaire Peter Thiel.
- Kennedy has received widespread criticism for policies that current and former employees claim compromise national health.
What they’re saying: HHS employees and experts expressed mixed reactions to the AI mandate.
- In a September 3 letter, current and former HHS employees wrote: “We warn the President, Congress, and the Public that Secretary Kennedy’s actions are compromising the health of this nation, and we demand Secretary Kennedy’s resignation.”
- HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon defended Kennedy, stating he “pledged to check his assumptions at the door” and has “accomplished more than any health secretary in history in the fight to end the chronic disease epidemic.”
- Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “On the surface, this seems like a step forward and could boost the output of the agency. At the same point, skeptics are concerned this could lead to dramatic reduction in workforce and eventually take its toll on the services offered.”
- Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, expressed concern: “ChatGPT is only as good as the people supplying the input. If those providing the input don’t truly understand the information, the results can be misleading and even harmful.”
Why this matters: The implementation of AI in government healthcare settings could have lasting implications for both federal workers and healthcare beneficiaries, particularly given the controversial context surrounding Kennedy’s leadership and the significant staff turnover at HHS.
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