Jobs · Registered nurse
Will AI replace nurses?
Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 26% of the working time in a typical registered nurse job today. The other 74% still needs a person.
27 responsibilities · a typical registered nurse job
74% of the work still needs a person.
Median pay $97,550 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).
Still needs a person
- Give medications and watch for reactions
- Give hands-on care, first aid and vaccines
- Lead nursing staff or run a unit
- Adjust care plans as patients respond
- Check that patients get proper nursing care
- Prep patients for exams and procedures
AI can do or help with
- Keep accurate, detailed patient records AI helps
- Track and report changes in patients AI helps
- Record patient vitals and health details AI helps
- Plan patient care with the care team AI helps
- Oversee diet, activity and daily care AI helps
- Assess home, work and community health risks AI helps
The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means a person still does it, with AI taking on part of the time. See all 27, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.
Is this your job?
Upload your résumé to see your Human Edge: how much of your experience is in the 74% that still needs a person. You also get a free plan with what to learn next. We never keep your résumé.
Questions people ask
Will AI replace nurses?
Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 26% of the working time in a typical registered nurse job today. The other 74% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.
Which parts of the job can AI do?
The biggest ones AI can do or help with: keep accurate, detailed patient records, track and report changes in patients, record patient vitals and health details, plan patient care with the care team, oversee diet, activity and daily care, assess home, work and community health risks.
Which parts still need a person?
The biggest ones: give medications and watch for reactions, give hands-on care, first aid and vaccines, lead nursing staff or run a unit, adjust care plans as patients respond, check that patients get proper nursing care, prep patients for exams and procedures.
How is this measured?
Each of the 27 responsibilities the U.S. Department of Labor lists for this job (O*NET 31.0) is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. Scores version 0.3.1, updated September 24, 2026.
Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.
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