WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long cultivated a political base by channeling American anxieties regarding corporate influence in sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals to processed foods and pesticides. However, his recent alignment with the artificial intelligence industry has created friction within his own “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) coalition and drawn skepticism from medical authorities.
During a recent MAHA summit attended by executives from Silicon Valley, Kennedy declared his support for AI technology, arguing it could liberate citizens from what he termed “medical tyranny.” He told the invite-only audience that the tools would enable Americans to independently verify medical advice, diminishing the authority of public officials who demand blind trust in established experts.
The pivot immediately drew criticism from prominent figures within the MAHA movement. Critics argued that the administration is becoming increasingly intertwined with the very corporate interests it historically scrutinized. Dr. Robert Malone, a vaccine researcher and former member of a federal vaccine panel under Kennedy, described the summit as a classic example of “pay-to-play.” He noted the absence of grassroots participants, such as the “MAHA moms” and patient advocates who originally fueled the movement, replaced instead by large corporations with pending business before the government.
The event was sponsored by major AI firms including OpenAI and Anthropic, along with more than a dozen other companies seeking government favor, such as psychedelic drug developers and creators of experimental cancer diagnostics. Sponsors contributed up to $300,000, with many receiving panel speaking opportunities alongside top health officials like Dr. Mehmet Oz of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Medical experts also challenged Kennedy’s assessment of AI’s capabilities. Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a bioethicist and cancer specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that Kennedy appears to misunderstand the fundamental nature of the technology. Emanuel explained that AI models are trained on peer-reviewed literature and clinical case studies, meaning they inherently aggregate existing medical expertise rather than offering an independent check against it.
“He wants AI to mimic what he says,” Emanuel said. “But that’s not what good AI is going to do.”
In response, HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard defended the Secretary’s position, stating that Emanuel was describing only one narrow application of the technology. She emphasized that Kennedy aims to use AI to help patients understand their health data, interrogate evidence, and collaborate more effectively with doctors, ultimately allowing physicians to spend more time on direct patient care.
The controversy highlights a broader trend within the Trump administration, which has resisted strict oversight of AI companies. President Trump has previously rolled back Biden-era executive orders on AI regulation and supported self-policing within the industry, a stance that aligns with the technological optimism voiced by Kennedy and Dr. Oz.
Some MAHA-affiliated organizations remain opposed to the industry’s environmental impact. Moms Across America, founded by a former Kennedy staffer, campaigns against the energy and water consumption associated with data centers. The group did not comment on Kennedy’s recent remarks.
Experts like Dr. Robert Wachter of UC San Francisco acknowledged that AI could empower patients but warned it is more likely to reinforce established medical consensus than validate contrarian views. Wachter noted that while democratizing access to information is positive, it involves disseminating the best available science, which is typically produced by qualified professionals. He added that real-world interactions between patients and chatbots often suffer from incomplete user input and mixed-quality advice, raising questions about their reliability under stress.
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