Benefits Access and Delivery: Using AI to Expand Reach, Simply Systems, and Improve Integrity

Public health outcomes are shaped not only by healthcare, but also by whether residents can successfully access the benefits and supports available to them. Yet public benefits systems remain difficult to navigate, fragmented across agencies, and burdensome for both residents and administrators. This session explores how artificial intelligence can help modernize access while preserving equity, privacy, and public trust.

Participants will examine how AI tools can simplify enrollment and improve service delivery through intelligent assistants, user-centered application experiences, and emerging agentic approaches that support form completion and guide users through complex processes. The session will also explore how AI can help connect traditionally separate systems—aligning health, nutrition, housing, and income supports while identifying eligibility across multiple programs.

And, the workshop will examine how AI can strengthen program integrity and administrative effectiveness through better data coordination, fraud detection, and improved decision support. Throughout, participants will learn more about governance, consent, and implementation questions that agencies must address to ensure these tools expand access rather than create new barriers.