HHS Deploys AI Avatars To Rural Care

The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Mehmet Oz, is pressing forward with a plan to deploy AI-powered avatars as substitutes for human health workers in rural and underserved U.S. communities, according to reporting by NPR. The proposal would use LLM-based digital clinicians for triage, chronic-care check-ins, and patient education, while critics warn it raises safety, malpractice, and equity concerns that could affect access and quality of care.