Nearly two-thirds of hospital nursing professionals surveyed by Black Book Research said they feel individually watched or behaviorally tracked by AI or algorithmic systems used in their workplaces.
The findings come from Black Book Research’s State of AI in Hospital Nursing report, an August assessment of 202 hospital nursing professionals who had direct exposure to AI-enabled or algorithmic systems during the previous 12 months. Respondents included bedside nurses, charge nurses, managers, informatics professionals, utilization and case-management nurses, quality and safety personnel, administrators and advanced practice nurses.
Here are four key findings from the survey:
- Sixty-five percent of respondents said they felt individually watched or behaviorally tracked by at least one system. Separately, 63% said they had not been clearly informed about secondary workforce uses of AI-derived or algorithmic data, while 51% reported that such information was being used for coaching or performance reviews. Among hospital RNs surveyed, 29% said they could inspect information attributed to them, while 30% reported having a defined correction or appeal process.
- The survey also found changes in how some respondents said they worked. Fifty-two percent said they changed documentation timing or care sequencing to avoid negative flags or metrics, while 49% reported using workarounds to reduce alerts or negative flags. Thirty-three percent said they were less willing to report a near miss or uncertainty, and 38% said they felt safe overriding or disagreeing with AI.
- AI also did not necessarily reduce respondents’ overall workload. Sixty-three percent said AI introduced new tasks without removing previous work, while 58% reported spending additional time explaining exceptions, resolving conflicting outputs or communicating with managers, IT, quality or compliance teams.
- The report also pointed to potential workforce implications. Ninety-six of the 202 respondents, or about 48%, said they were likely or very likely to seek a job, transfer or clinical assignment with less AI-enabled monitoring or decision support until the technology becomes more reliable, transparent and clinically mature. The figure reflects stated intentions among the surveyed group, not a forecast that nearly half of American nurses will leave the profession.
Black Book said the findings are based on self-reported experiences and that the cross-sectional study does not establish that AI alone caused dissatisfaction, workarounds or intentions to change roles.
