Health Ministry blocks AI tools on government hospital computers

Israel’s Health Ministry has blocked access to all AI tools on the computers of government hospitals, in a move aimed at protecting patient privacy and reducing cyber risks. The restriction affects hospital network access to services such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, including at major institutions such as Sheba and Assaf Harofeh.

According to the report, staff members were surprised to discover that the popular tools they had used routinely were suddenly unavailable on organizational networks. From now on, workers who want to use them will be able to do so only from their personal mobile phones.

The ministry said the step was taken out of concern that external AI systems could expose sensitive medical information and become a target in cyberattacks against public hospitals in Israel. It noted that in March 2026 it had already issued a warning to all public health organizations, telling them to reduce use of these tools and avoid entering organizational data, medical information, personnel details or code into them.

In its response, the ministry said: “Protecting patient privacy, medical confidentiality and information security are top priorities whenever technologies are introduced.” It added that AI is a major engine for innovation in the health system, but public, free and external AI tools carry cyber risks. The ministry said it is also advancing dedicated protection solutions that would eventually allow broader AI use, including on computers connected to organizational networks, while maintaining high standards of privacy, information security and cyber defense.