In November 2024, the American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosted a policy dialogue titled “AI Transformation in Policy, Practice, and Education for Nursing and Health Care: A Foundational Dialogue.” The Academy’s Expert Panel on Informatics & Technology convened this dialogue to discuss the significant impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and address ways to integrate AI in the context of clinical practice, education, and research. Participants in this dialogue heard from leading experts about the risks and benefits of AI in health care, the ethical implications stemming from its use, and policy considerations as AI technology is expanded.

• AI is Rapidly Transforming Humanity and Nursing Practice
  As technologies become ingrained in daily life, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between artificial and human output. The explosive growth in AI technology presents an unprecedented opportunity to bring together organic and non-organic factors in health care and presents a new and expanding set of ethical dilemmas and challenges.
• Nursing’s Strengths in Care and Compassion Must be Embedded into Data and Systems
  AI has transformative power to unify or divide people. The nursing profession must focus on its strengths in care, centered on human dignity, compassion, and connection. Human wholeness, social connectedness, happiness indexes, and other measurements including the invisible care labor not otherwise reflected in current datasets should be embedded in data and models so that nurses can focus on enhancing patient-centered care. 
• Nursing Expertise is Critical to Patient-Centered Discovery and Innovation in AI 
  For decades, nurses have been at the forefront of data and information management, which is central to AI. Nurses are strongly attuned to capturing the patient and nurse story through data. This history means that nursing is well-positioned to not only develop but also lead innovations in AI. Nurses will also be needed as educators for patients as AI is increasingly integrated in their care.
• A Forward-Focused Lens on AI is Critical 
  AI technologies are constantly evolving. It is important for the nursing workforce to adopt a forward-focused lens that advances knowledge on AI to define the future of the profession within this sphere, rather than being passive receivers of new technologies. As new technologies emerge and the sophistication of AI increases, the profession must ensure that the accurate value of nursing is captured in data sets.
  

Guest Panelists

• Connie W. Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, Professor and Dean, University of Minnesota School of Nursing
• Richard Booth, PhD, RN, Associate Professor and Research Chair in Digitally-Enabled Health Care, Western University
• Rochelle Prosser, RN, CLNE, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Orchid Healthcare Solutions

Planning Committee

• Susan McBride, PhD, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FAAN - Chair, Planning Committee
• Mari Tietze, PhD, RN-BC, FHIMSS, FAAN - Vice-Chair, Planning Committee and Chair, Informatics & Technology Expert Panel
• Dan Roberts, PhD, MS, RN, ACNP, FAAN - Vice-Chair, Informatics & Technology Expert Panel
• Jane Carrington, PhD, RN, FAMIA, FAAN - Immediate Past Chair, Informatics & Technology Expert Panel
• Pat Hinton Walker, PhD, RN, MCC, NBC-HWC, FAAN 
• Lillee Gelinas, DNP, RN, CPPS, FNAP, FAAN
• Rae Walker, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Rosemary Kennedy, PhD, RN, MBA, FAAN
• Cathy Ivory, PhD, RN-BC, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, FAAN