By Dr. Lisiane Pruinelli, PhD, MSc, RN, FAMIA, FAAN
At the American Medical Informatics Association 2025 Annual Symposium, one message was loud and clear: Artificial Intelligence is not the future; it is now. But how we shape it today will determine whether it serves nurses and patients tomorrow.
The AMIA Nursing Informatics Working Group, held on Nov. 16 and proudly sponsored by the University of Florida College of Nursing, brought together leaders from across the country to explore AI’s promise — and its risks — for nursing practice, education and policy. I was honored to speak on behalf of UF and share how we are building bridges between translational research, data science and nursing values.
So what are the critical questions facing us as AI becomes embedded in care? And how can nurses, especially informatics nurses, lead from within?
Governance: From Silent Stakeholders to Frontline Stewards
AI does not just run on data. It runs on decisions, about which data to use, who designs the algorithms and how we monitor them over time. That’s why nurses must have a seat at every AI governance table.
In our session, I shared three nurse-led priorities for ethical governance:
- Anchor in values, not just regulations: Nursing codes of ethics, centered on dignity, impartiality and autonomy, can guide responsible AI use far better than tech-industry templates. When we ground governance in patient-centered care, we create safeguards that resonate with both professionals and the public.
- Make risk assessment routine and nurse-informed: We must treat AI like any high-risk intervention, requiring structured risk assessment, transparency and clearly defined escalation pathways when things go wrong.
- Earn public trust through transparency and partnership: Patients and communities must be invited into oversight processes. We need to show that AI isn’t something being done to them, but something being developed with and for them.
Practice: Supporting Judgment, Not Replacing It
As AI tools enter clinical workflows, they promise to reduce documentation burden, enhance surveillance and streamline care. But without careful design, they can also erode clinical judgment and relational care.
That’s why our mantra must be: Augmentation by default, not automation by default.
We encouraged health systems to:
• Co-design AI tools with nurses and patients.
• Prioritize implementations that reduce cognitive load.
• Train nurses to critically engage with AI, not just comply with its outputs.
And most importantly, measure success by more than efficiency: include nurse autonomy, moral distress and patient-reported outcomes.
Policy: FDA’s AI Guidance as a New Lever for Nursing Voice
A major discussion point at AMIA was the new draft guidance FDA’s Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Device Software Functions: Lifecycle Management and Marketing Submission Recommendations. Though not yet binding, it signals a clear shift toward lifecycle accountability: from design to deployment and decommissioning.
For nurses, this is an opportunity. The FDA now expects transparency, model performance across demographics, post-market monitoring, and explainability. These are the same demands nurse leaders have long called for. With this framework, we gain a regulatory backbone to advocate for safer, more equitable, and more transparent AI systems in practice. That means that the FDA is moving away from black-box approvals. That gives us, as nurses, the leverage to move toward trust.
What’s Next: Translating Talk into Action
The FloGatorAI initiative, launched in October 2024, continues to amplify nurse-led innovation in AI. From the NAILCollab (Nursing AI Leadership Collaborative) to education-focused projects aligned with the AACN Essentials, we are building the tools, networks and policies to help nursing thrive in an AI-augmented world.
We are also exploring how AI and environmental health intersect in states like Florida, where hurricanes, coastal vulnerabilities and climate risks demand smarter, real-time, AI-enabled public health solutions. As a 2025 cohort member of the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS), I’ve seen how responsible innovation must extend beyond hospitals and into communities.
Additional Resources for Further Exploration
• ANA’s Position Statement: Nurses’ Roles in AI-Enabled Care
• UF CON AI: Empowering the future of Nursing
• UF CON safe use of AI for Academic Excellence recommendation: Artificial Intelligence at the UF CON
Let’s keep the conversation going—because the future of AI in nursing isn’t just about code. It’s about care. And that is what nurses do best.
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