Are AI Nurses on the Rise?

As AI-powered nurses begin taking on more responsibilities in hospitals, you may soon find yourself speaking to an assistant like Ana the next time you need to schedule a medical exam.

Ana is an artificial intelligence (AI) programme designed to help patients prepare for appointments and address questions—available 24/7, in multiple languages, from Hindi to Haitian Creole.

Unlike human nurses, Ana does not need rest, but her role is emblematic of a growing trend in healthcare.

Companies like Hippocratic AI are developing technologies that automate time-consuming tasks traditionally performed by nurses and medical assistants.

This shift is gaining traction in hospitals across the US, where AI programmes monitor vital signs, flag emergencies, and even initiate care protocols—duties once managed by human professionals.

While hospitals claim these AI systems are improving efficiency, addressing burnout, and easing understaffing, nursing unions argue that these technologies undermine the expertise of human nurses, potentially lowering the quality of care.

Michelle Mahon of National Nurses United said:

"Hospitals have been waiting for the moment when they have something that appears to have enough legitimacy to replace nurses. The entire ecosystem is designed to automate, de-skill and ultimately replace caregivers.”

In response, Mahon’s group, the largest nursing union in the US, which has organised over 20 demonstrations, is calling for nurses to have a voice in how AI is integrated into their practice and for protection from punishment if they choose to disregard automated guidance.

The debate intensified after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested AI nurses could be as effective as doctors in rural areas.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominated to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, also supported AI’s potential to relieve healthcare professionals from administrative burdens.

Initially, Hippocratic AI pitched its AI assistants at a significantly lower rate—$9 per hour, compared to $40 for a registered nurse—but has since reframed its pitch, assuring customers of rigourous testing.

This March 2025 image from AI company Xoltar displays two demonstration avatars designed for patient video calls, highlighting their innovative approach to AI in healthcare communications.

The Dangers of AI in Healthcare: False Alarms and Risky Advice

Hospitals have long experimented with technology aimed at enhancing patient care and reducing costs, incorporating tools like sensors, microphones, and motion-sensing cameras.

Today, data from these devices is integrated with electronic medical records and analysed to predict medical issues and guide nurses' actions—sometimes even before nurses assess the patient themselves.

Adam Hart, an emergency room nurse at Dignity Health in Henderson, Nevada, experienced this firsthand when the hospital's system flagged a new patient for sepsis, a life-threatening condition.

Protocol instructed Hart to administer a large dose of IV fluids, but upon further examination, he realised the patient was on dialysis and at risk of kidney overload.

Despite his concerns, he was told to follow the protocol, and it was only after a physician intervened that the patient received appropriate care.

Hart noted:

"You need to keep your thinking cap on – that’s why you’re being paid as a nurse. Turning over our thought processes to these devices is reckless and dangerous.”

While nurses acknowledge AI's goal of aiding in patient monitoring and quick responses, many find the technology often produces false alarms—flagging basic bodily functions, like a bowel movement, as emergencies.

Melissa Beebe, a cancer nurse at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, stated:

"You’re trying to focus on your work but then you’re getting all these distracting alerts that may or may not mean something. It’s hard to even tell when it’s accurate and when it’s not because there are so many false alarms.”

Is AI’s Help Useful in the Hospital?

Michelle Collins, dean of Loyola University’s College of Nursing, emphasizes that even the most advanced technology can miss subtle cues—like facial expressions and odours—that nurses routinely detect.

However, human nurses are not infallible either.

Collins pointed out:

"It would be foolish to turn our back on this completely. We should embrace what it can do to augment our care, but we should also be careful it doesn’t replace the human element.”

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an estimated loss of over 100,000 nurses from the workforce, marking the largest staffing decline in 40 years.

With an aging US population and increasing nurse retirements, the government forecasts over 190,000 annual nurse openings through 2032.

In light of these challenges, hospital administrators see AI as a valuable tool—not to replace care, but to support nurses and doctors in gathering critical information and improving patient communication.

AI Nurses Are 24/7 But Human Nurses Are Not

At the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences in Little Rock, staff face the challenge of making hundreds of calls weekly to prepare patients for surgery.

Nurses verify crucial details, including prescriptions and heart conditions, as well as potential issues like sleep apnea, all of which must be reviewed before anesthesia.

However, many patients only answer calls in the evening, typically between dinner and their children’s bedtime.

Dr. Joseph Sanford, who oversees the center’s health IT, explained:

"So what we need to do is find a way to call several hundred people in a 120-minute window – but I really don’t want to pay my staff overtime to do so.”

To address this, the hospital has implemented an AI assistant from Qventus, which helps contact patients, exchange medical records, and summarise the information for human staff.

Qventus claims that 115 hospitals are utilising its technology to improve surgical efficiency, reduce cancellations, and minimise staff burnout.

Each call is initiated by the AI assistant, which clearly identifies itself.

Sanford said:

"We always want to be fully transparent with our patients that sometimes they are talking to a human and sometimes they’re not.”

While Qventus focuses on administrative tasks, other companies like Israeli startup Xoltar are aiming for a more expansive role for AI.

Xoltar is developing humanlike avatars that conduct video calls with patients, including collaborations with Mayo Clinic on AI assistants to teach cognitive techniques for chronic pain management and smoking cessation.

Early tests show patients engage with the programme for about 14 minutes, during which the avatar picks up on facial expressions and body language.

Nursing experts suggest that while AI could benefit proactive and relatively healthy patients, its effectiveness may be limited for those with more complex health needs.

Roschelle Fritz of the University of California Davis School of Nursing, noted:

"It’s the very sick who are taking up the bulk of health care in the US and whether or not chatbots are positioned for those folks is something we really have to consider.”