AI must not replace nurses’ moral agency, nurse researchers say

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, University of Pennsylvania nurse researchers maintain health care organizations cannot replace nurses’ moral agency with AI. In a Hastings Center report, they say AI “lacks sentience, intentionality and accountability” even though it can simulate empathy and generate context-aware responses. With the global robotic nurse industry projected to reach more than $2.7 billion by 2031, the researchers call for ethical guardrails. Nurses must be part of AI design teams to ensure tools align with clinical values and preferences. Facilities should say when AI is used to generate summaries or treatment suggestions to allow patients and clinicians to understand the information source. They say health systems should not use AI to hire nurses, since algorithms cannot identify empathy and critical reasoning. (Newswise release, 3/10/26)