HHS’ Office of Inspector General has opened an audit of the agency’s governance framework for artificial intelligence tools used across the department.
The audit will examine whether HHS has established AI governance for developing and deploying AI tools in line with federal and departmental requirements, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework, according to the review unveiled earlier in July.
Auditors will assess controls tied to transparency, fairness, accountability, security and privacy across HHS’s AI portfolio, which supports public health surveillance, fraud detection and administrative automation.
The review falls under the Office of the Secretary and touches two issue areas: departmental operational issues and information technology and cybersecurity. OIG classified the project’s status as active as of the announcement date.
The audit follows HHS’s December 2025 rollout of a departmentwide AI strategy and governance board, and comes as the department has expanded AI-driven initiatives such as its AERO audit program targeting state and grantee spending. OIG said identifying governance gaps now could help HHS tighten controls as its AI use continues to scale.
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