HHS eyes AI to support caregivers in multimillion-dollar competition
The Department of Health and Human Services is exploring how artificial intelligence can support caregivers with the launch of a new $2 million prize competition for AI caregiver tools.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the “Caregiver Artificial Intelligence Prize Competition” at an event Tuesday for National Family Caregivers Month, stating the agency is calling on engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to use AI to “make caregiving smarter, simpler and more humane.”
“Many caregivers work around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, taking care of their loved ones with lifelong disabilities, dementia or chronic illness,” Kennedy said in closing remarks. “Too many lose their income, their job, their aspirations and ambitions for themselves and even their own health in the process.”
The HHS’s Administration for Community Living (ACL) emphasized that the direct care workforce is facing increased shortages, leaving family caregivers to fill the void. According to an AARP report published in July, nearly 1 in 4 adults provided ongoing care for an adult or child with a complex medical condition or disability. These caregivers spend, on average, about $7,200 a year in out-of-pocket caregiving expenses, the report found.
The competition will seek tools that benefit the professional care workforce or personal caregivers. Developers could be awarded up to $2 million for the products.
The tools should help employers with scheduling, efficiency, and training, as well as “support” for family and friend caregivers, though the ACL did not specify related use cases.
“These tools aim to educate, assist, and reduce administrative strain so caregivers can focus on their own well-being and the people they care for,” HHS wrote in a press release.
The competition will take place in three phases — design, implementation and scaling — Kennedy said.
Like much of the federal government, HHS and its subagencies are encouraging the use of AI tools in both its federal workforce and the broader medical community.
The competition, Kennedy said, is part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” strategy, which encourages private-sector collaborations at HHS.
“The White House directed HHS to use AI to assist in personalized treatment plans, real-time monitoring and predictive interventions,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy, who was joined by Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Assistant Secretary for Aging Mary Lazare, congressional members and caregiver advocates, noted AI can “change caregiving,” but it “will never replace compassion and will never replace the human element.”
