Augmenting the Nursing Workforce with AI Across Generational Lines

By Dr. Susan Grant, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Clinical Officer, symplr.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent across the healthcare ecosystem, safety must remain at the center of everything we do. Nurses are not only at the heart of patient care but are also vital influencers for the successful and safe adoption of AI. When thoughtfully developed, AI can simplify workflows, give clinicians more time to connect with patients, and ultimately improve well-being and patient outcomes. However, if safety is not prioritized and if AI is layered on top of broken workflows, its full potential will never be realized.

Bridging the Generational AI Trust Gap

Generational differences are creating an “AI trust gap” within health systems. Digital-native nurses, who have always known a world rich in technology, are more likely to trust AI. In fact, 41% of Gen Zers say they trust AI more than humans at work. In contrast, more experienced nurses, many of whom have weathered the rocky rollouts of earlier technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), may be wary, especially if past implementations disregarded established workflows or disrupted care delivery.

Nurses are experts in their workflows. Their involvement is essential to ensure that AI solutions are designed to support, not complicate, core responsibilities like scheduling, timecard validation, and clinical documentation. AI can only reduce the administrative burden on nurses—and deliver true safety—if it is built with their expertise in mind. Attempting to graft AI onto inefficient or broken workflows will not succeed; real advancement happens only when nurses are at the table shaping how these technologies fit into practice.

Clinician shortages persist, and technology can help bridge this gap—if and only if solutions enhance workflows and center safety. Otherwise, poorly executed technology implementations, including standalone or disconnected solutions, will reinforce distrust among those who have experienced the downsides before. Sustained change fatigue is real: nurses routinely face new processes, and without clear benefit and alignment with safe, effective care, they may resist further adjustments. Success depends on treating nurses as critical, knowledgeable stakeholders—never as bystanders.

Empowering Nurses to Lead with AI and Workflow Design

Effective AI adoption starts with engaging the entire team—clinicians, IT, and executive leadership—anchored by a relentless commitment to safety. Critically, nurses must be actively involved from the outset, both as co-designers of AI integrations and as decision-makers in shaping how these technologies impact and improve existing workflows. Their lived experience ensures that AI isn’t built atop broken systems, but instead, is integrated into processes that truly work.

Negative experiences with technology often stem from failing to address the practical realities of nursing workflows. When nurses are sidelined during design and implementation, technology rarely adds value or enhances safety. Encouraging open dialogue, inviting feedback, and making nurses foundational to the process turns technology into a powerful ally.

Fostering nurses’ knowledge and confidence by involving them in workflow and technology development not only makes AI more accessible, but it also empowers nurses to advocate for innovations that ease the frontline burden. When nurses help shape AI, they avoid feeling as though change is “done to them” and instead become champions of change that protects well-being and enables them to do what they do best—care for patients.

A Vision for Safe, AI-Supported Clinical Care

Throughout all AI initiatives, safety remains the central theme. When thoughtfully implemented with nurse input and aligned with sound workflows, AI can prevent burnout, create safer environments, and improve nurse well-being. This vision requires involvement from all levels of hospital staff, a continual focus on effective, safe workflows, and an ongoing willingness to listen and adapt.

By addressing generational trust dynamics and ensuring nurse agency in both workflow and AI development, health systems can build more connected teams and drive better results—for clinicians and, most importantly, for patients.