ITASCA, IL--The American Academy of Pediatrics has published guidance for pediatricians on the safe, equitable, and effective use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), acknowledging that the rapidly emerging tools offer both promise and risk.
Patient privacy and security must be at the forefront of AI, and tools need to be specifically designed for pediatric care, rather than adapted from adult models, according to the statement, "Recommendations for the Development and Implementation of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Pediatric Clinical Care," published in the November 2026 Pediatrics.
The policy statement will be presented Oct. 3 – the day the statement is published online -- during the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. R. Brandon Hunter, MD, FAAP, co-author of the statement, will present "5 Things Every Pediatrician Should Know About Generative AI," on Sunday, Oct. 4, with two opportunities to attend. The first is 7:30-8:30 am PDT in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 24. The session is repeated from 3:30-4:30 p.m. PDT in the convention center, Room 6B.
"Artificial intelligence in healthcare offers extraordinary opportunities to improve workflow, offer clinical decision support, documentation and education across pediatric subspecialties," said the policy statement's lead author, Srinivasan Suresh, MD, MBA, FAAP. "Yet the AAP recognizes the need to step into this new world with thoughtfulness and intention. There will be a need for rigorous human oversight and accountability."
Most generative AI tools get trained on data where children are underrepresented, and few are rigorously evaluated in pediatrics specifically. Developers should prioritize ways to ethically and safely incorporate pediatric datasets, address bias, and put into place strong data privacy and security safeguards that recognize children's developmental differences and family-centered needs, according to AAP. The policy statement encourages development of AI tools that represent various races, ethnicities, languages, abilities, and socioeconomic statuses to avoid exacerbating health disparities.
The AAP Council on Clinical Information Technology and AAP Section on Innovation in Therapeutics and Technology developed the policy statement. All policy statements created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.
The policy statement addresses only the use of Generative AI to support clinical care of pediatric patients. It does not address the direct use of AI by children, adolescents and families. AAP is developing a separate set of guidance for family use, touching on some issues in a statement here .
"Generative AI is already providing real value to pediatricians, and it's improving at an incredible pace," Dr. Hunter said. "But what makes this moment in healthcare so interesting and unusual is that adoption is often moving faster than the evidence on how to use these tools effectively is being produced. We hope this statement gives pediatricians a framework for thinking about AI implementation as that evidence catches up."
Clinicians, developers, researchers, and families can collaborate to ensure GenAI tools are thoughtfully designed and implemented. An interdisciplinary approach will help to align innovation with real-world pediatric needs, according to AAP.
"It will never be able to replace the trusting partnership between families and physician," Dr. Suresh said. "This is an evolving tool that, when used properly as a support, will help pediatricians give more of their attention to our patients."
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