A grant program would annually make $1 million available for medical schools that build artificial intelligence (AI) literacy programs under legislation introduced Wednesday by House Democrats.
Led by Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., the Healthcare Education in AI Literacy (HEAL A.I.) Act would give each medical school up to $100,000 each year to help students and residents gain hands-on experience with AI tools to support their understanding of AI’s ability to improve patient care, streamline workflows, and enhance decision-making.
The grant program would be overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration and run from fiscal year 2026 to 2030.
“AI can transform the care that millions of Americans receive,” Barragán said in a statement. “With the rapid developments in AI technology, we now have the capability to do more, provide better care, and close the health care disparities that we often see in our underserved and minority communities.”
She added, “that also means that our next generation of doctors and providers must be knowledgeable in how to best use this technology. This bill will help provide that space to train our next generation of health care providers to give the best care possible for working Americans.”
Schools that receive the grant will be required to report to the Department of Health and Human Services how they integrated AI education and training into their curriculum, the number of students that enrolled and completed at least one course funded by the grant, and any organizations that helped carry out programming made possible by the grant.
The legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif.