You would be hard-pressed to find a worker who wasn’t, to some degree, afraid of being replaced by Artificial Intelligence. Yet it’s also thrilling to consider that when used benevolently, AI can streamline processes, perform time-consuming rote tasks, and otherwise free up workers from mundane duties so that they can focus on complex details and innovation.
Yet unease remains, and plenty of workers have recently wondered whether they should have chosen a “safe” career in which AI couldn’t possibly replace them – like nursing, perhaps? After all, it is no secret that most hospital systems are feeling labor shortages. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that, by 2030, the healthcare industry will be understaffed by 10 million workers. That problem is worsened when nursing unions call for strikes to gain an edge in pushing for higher pay during contract negotiations.
Is nursing really exempt from the AI revolution? Nope, and this is becoming a source of brewing conflict. National Nurses United (NNU) recently sounded the alarm about how “collective action” is needed to prevent hospitals from using “algorithms” to “replac[e] the expertise, experience, holistic, and hands-on approach” of nurses in pursuit of greater profits.
A source of this tension: Tech leader NVIDIA has joined forces with a startup called Hippocratic AI to develop voice-based healthcare “agents” that will cost “$9 per hour” (far less than the hourly RN rate in all markets) and can dispense limited health advice via chat sessions that act as patient assessments. They can also quickly scour databases to interpret tests and match symptoms with a wide range of possible diagnoses. The possibilities are not endless, but it’s clear how helpful this AI could be.
If done correctly, this tech could support nurses rather than replace them. Ultimately, this tech could improve workplace morale by supporting overstretched nurses, who will hopefully realize that AI chatbots cannot replace their years of experience and hands-on care. These bots also cannot conjure up empathy and probably have terrible bedside manners.
Yet it’s easy to see why nurses could feel trepidation while gazing upon this new frontier, given these concerns that employers must address:
- AI does make errors. Will registered nurses be held responsible, legally liable, and in danger of losing their licensure due to an algorithm’s errors, and will their time spent overseeing this technology be a consideration?
- Can AI be compatible with the Hippocratic Oath of doing no harm?
- How inexpensive will the total cost of this AI indeed be? Popular Science points out that these NVIDIA chips are pricey, up to $40,000 in one go. Additionally, they can consume a great deal of power to keep running, supposedly enough to power an entire household. Is it worth potentially losing the intangible benefits of human care?
Those are questions that demand nuanced answers, which will not come quickly. Employers should further note that although there are as many potential benefits as risks while incorporating AI into healthcare workflows, any transition should happen with careful consideration. On a labor-focused note, employers would be best served by treating AI like any other concern: let transparency and open communication help guide the way.
