Short answer
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Nurses? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places nurses in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +5.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 180,800 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 53/100Higher than 69% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +5.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 180,800BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed nurses are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Nurses land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High · this job190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Assisting and caring for others4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing general physical activities4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for nurses
- Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
- Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
- Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
- Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.
- Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +5.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 180,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 3,379,720 people work in the job today, at a median of $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full registered nurse profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than nurses
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $352,220median a year
- Growth
- +5.6%
- Openings / yr
- 200
- Education
- Doctorate
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.
Prosthodontist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $311,180median a year
- Growth
- +5.8%
- Openings / yr
- 0
- Education
- Doctorate
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, design, and fit prostheses that maintain oral function, health, and appearance for patients with clinical conditions associated with teeth, oral and maxillofacial tissues, or the jaw.
Respiratory Therapist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $82,280median a year
- Growth
- +8.5%
- Openings / yr
- 8,600
- Education
- Associate's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders.
Orthotist and Prosthetist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $81,110median a year
- Growth
- +12.9%
- Openings / yr
- 700
- Education
- Master's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.
Nurse Anesthetist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $236,590median a year
- Growth
- +9.7%
- Openings / yr
- 2,400
- Education
- Master's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 55/100
- resilience
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.
Questions
Will AI Replace Nurses? FAQ
Will AI replace nurses?
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +5.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 180,800 openings a year.
How exposed are nurses to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Nurses are in the high category, alongside 189 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a registered nurse's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, evaluating information to determine compliance with standards and getting information. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, performing general physical activities and face-to-face discussions. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a registered nurse a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, nurses score 53 out of 100, higher than 69% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to nurses are less exposed to AI?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (low exposure, $352,220 median), Prosthodontist (low exposure, $311,180 median), Respiratory Therapist (low exposure, $82,280 median), Orthotist and Prosthetist (low exposure, $81,110 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than nurses, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.