Artificial intelligence adoption among U.S. nurses is increasing, but it has left the fundamentals of care delivery largely unchanged, according to a May 5 survey from McKinsey.
The survey asked more than 500 U.S. nurses across care settings about AI adoption, usage patterns, attitudes and barriers.
Here are six key findings from the survey:
- Nearly 65% of nurses reported using more AI tools than a year ago, signaling growing momentum. However, adoption remains uneven, with 23% reporting no use and about 2% saying AI is fully integrated into their daily work.
- More than three-quarters of nurses said they use AI in some capacity, typically at low to moderate levels. About 10% identified as “superusers,” indicating deeper integration into their workflows.
- Despite limited adoption, confidence in the technology is high. More than 80% of respondents said AI can improve patient care to some degree, including 16% who believe it could have a significant impact.
- Trust in AI outputs emerged as the top concern, cited by 33% of respondents. Other concerns included reduced human interaction (18%) and data privacy (16%).
- AI is most commonly used in structured tasks such as documentation and medication management.
- Nurses who are “superusers” are significantly more likely to use AI in high-stakes areas such as medication management and clinical decision support compared to their peers.
