HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said AI can provide patients with a better-informed second opinion than any physician in the country, The New York Times reported Sept. 29.
Speaking alongside Vice President JD Vance at the MAHA Summit in Washington, Mr. Kennedy described AI as offering “a second opinion that is much better informed than any doctor in the country,” and has the power to “free us from medical tyranny.”
Mr. Kennedy also recounted a recent meeting with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. According to Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Altman said physicians would be committing malpractice if they diagnosed a patient or prescribed treatment without first consulting AI.
The health secretary framed AI as a tool patients could use to challenge guidance from public officials and medical experts. He suggested the technology could dispute advice about masks, social distancing and vaccines, according to the Times.
“If somebody tells you, ‘Masks work, trust the experts,’ A.I. may tell you otherwise,” Mr. Kennedy said. “If somebody tells you, ‘Social distancing works, trust the experts,’ A.I. may correct that. And if somebody tells you that a vaccine will prevent transmission and infection, or you need to take it to protect your grandmother, A.I. may say it actually doesn’t do that.”
His remarks came as the Trump administration faces growing pressure to strengthen AI regulation. In September, a bipartisan coalition of 26 attorneys general urged Congress to establish a federal regulatory framework for AI development, citing recent reports of AI agents engaging in unauthorized or potentially harmful activity.
HHS has also drawn criticism for moving too quickly to fund healthcare AI projects.
The summit’s sponsors included OpenAI and Anthropic, along with companies that have business before HHS. Corporate sponsorship prompted criticism from some longtime Kennedy supporters.
Administration officials attended as invited speakers and did not plan the summit, according to the Times. The MAHA Center, which hosted the event, said it did not coordinate its planning with any government entity.
Mr. Kennedy’s remarks come as some consumers express confidence in AI-assisted health decisions. A 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer analysis conducted with the Yale School of Public Health found that 49% of respondents asked about AI across 13 countries believed someone without formal medical training who knows how to use AI could perform at least one of four health-related tasks as well as or better than a physician. The findings reflect respondents’ perceptions, rather than a comparison of clinical performance.
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