White House Drops New AI Policy with No Mention of Nurses—As Protests Heat Up

The White House has released its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence: Legislative Recommendations, a broad proposal intended to guide Congress in developing the first comprehensive federal AI law.

The framework outlines a national strategy for AI development while also addressing risks such as child safety, intellectual property, and infrastructure demands. 

However, despite healthcare being one of the fastest-growing sectors for AI adoption, the document failed to directly mention nurses or even address the healthcare industry at all.

The policy framework clearly addresses other important aspects that AI is already impacting, like the effects of residents' electricity prices and safety risks for children, but to completely leave out healthcare, something that affects all people in the nation, feels like a notable oversight. 

On Facebook, the White House called the framework "common sense" and said it is dedicated to "winning the AI race."

What the Framework Outlines

The framework proposes legislative action across seven key areas, including:

• Child protection and online safety
• Community and infrastructure impacts
• Intellectual property rights
• Free speech and censorship protections
• Innovation and economic competitiveness
• Workforce development
• Federal preemption of state AI laws
• Developing an AI-ready workforce

It also emphasizes the need for a uniform federal approach, warning that a patchwork of state regulations could hinder innovation and economic growth. 

In plain speak, the policy basically says that federal AI policies will let "industry sectors" make their own rules, and states won't be allowed to stop them, which feels dangerously close to letting companies do what they want without anyone stopping them. 

A federal-only approach also feels like a detour from a lot of major sweeping changes governed by Republican politicians, as state rights tend to prevail over federal, but it could play into existing federal healthcare guidelines and governing bodies that will end up leading the way for AI regulation in the healthcare industry specifically.

"It's odd to see former conservatives so quick to entrance federal overreach and expensive regulations," wrote one Facebook commenter. 

Restricting AI policy to the federal level also makes us wonder if it would abolish some of the state regulations that have already been set in place, like Washington state's recent ruling that only human licensed professionals can legally call themselves "nurses"?

A Noticeable Absence: Healthcare

While the framework addresses “workforce development,” it does so broadly, focusing on preparing workers for an AI-driven economy rather than addressing specific professions already being transformed by AI, such as nursing and healthcare.

There is no explicit discussion of:

• Clinical decision support tools
• AI in patient monitoring or diagnostics
• Workflow impacts on nurses
• Patient safety concerns tied to AI use in care settings

Meanwhile, Kaiser nurses are striking over AI acuity scores that don't match bedside reality, patients are self-diagnosing with ChatGPT, and companies market "virtual nurses" like they're interchangeable with humans.

AI has already interrupted healthcare in major ways, but there's no true regulation or oversight over it, and that's a problem. It's reasonable to assume that if professional nursing organizations hoped for some guidance at a federal level for an issue that impacts nearly every human at some point in their lives, they are disappointed by the omission. 

Healthcare IT News, on the other hand, reports that tech companies are pleased with the White House's decision to leave AI policies up to industry sectors: 

"We strongly support the establishment of a national legislative/regulatory framework that would give the states a level of comfort and (hopefully) lead to a reduction in the number of state-specific laws," said Leigh Burchell, VP of policy and public affairs for Altera Digital Health and chair of the HIMSS EHR Association.

Healthcare IT News also noted that leading AI voices, such as Tina Joros, chair of the EHRA Artificial Intelligence Workgroup, also responded to the policy by pointing out that specific federal policies addressing AI in healthcare, at both a clinical and consumer level, are needed.

Nurses Have Real Concerns Over AI, But It's Not About Job Security

Nurses have been speaking out in the face of what appears to be the White House's silence in directly addressing the country's most trusted profession. 

And their concerns don't just center around job security—they're really about the fact that nurses are the ones being left to figure out how to deal with AI during their shifts, because AI in healthcare is already happening. 

For instance, the framework covers kids, IP rights, and free speech, but doesn't address overarching concerns like HIPAA, clinical algorithms, and patient safety. That means that nurses will be forced to face unregulated AI daily, while a federal policy "framework" leaves big question marks in practical application. 

As just one example, data from a 2024 National Nurses United survey shows that the impacts of a lack of federal or even state-level framework are already being felt on a direct level by nurses:

• 69% of RNs say AI-generated patient acuity doesn't match clinical judgment
• 48% of automated handoffs contradict nurses' assessments
• 29% of nurses said AI-generated notes did not allow editing, leading to inaccurate or incomplete charting

In many situations, nurses can also see the writing on the wall, as hospitals may be incentivized to deploy AI to cut staffing and so-called "costs," not necessarily to improve patient safety or care. 

Why Nursing Input Matters in AI Policy

Nurses represent the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and are central to patient safety, care coordination, and clinical decision-making. Plus, how do you talk about providing "AI resources" to small businesses but not mention helping nurses navigate AI changing, you know, everything about healthcare?

Without nurses' input on a federal level, even broad AI policies risk being shaped primarily by:

• Technology developers
• Lawmakers
• Industry stakeholders

—rather than the clinicians who interact with AI systems in high-stakes environments every day.

Previous healthcare technology rollouts have shown that excluding frontline workers can lead to inefficiencies, safety risks, and poor adoption. Advocates warn the same could happen with AI if nurses are not included in policymaking discussions.

For nurses, this reinforces a growing concern: that AI policy is advancing quickly, but without sufficient clinical perspective to guide safe implementation.

What Happens Next?

The White House has indicated it will work with Congress to turn the framework into legislation, potentially as early as 2026.

For nursing leaders and healthcare organizations, the coming months may represent a critical window to advocate for:

• Inclusion of frontline healthcare voices
• Patient safety safeguards
• Clear clinical oversight of AI systems

The White House National Policy also calls for "sector-specific AI applications" that will be overseen through existing regulatory bodies, which is where nurses may see some regulation at an industry level. 

However, it does seem like there could be some guidance from a national level on something that affects the entire country: healthcare.

🤔Nurses, share your thoughts about this below. Should AI in healthcare be addressed at a federal level?