Artificial intelligence in nursing practice: a qualitative study of nurses’ perspectives on opportunities, challenges, and ethical implications

BACKGROUND: The study aims to explore nurses' views on the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) in nursing, focusing on their understanding, practical applications, ethical considerations, and perceived opportunities and threats. METHODS: This qualitative study used semi[Formula: see text]structured interviews to gain comprehensive insights from clinical nurses, adhering to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research for methodological rigor. After obtaining ethical approval, researchers conducted semi[Formula: see text]structured interviews with 25 clinical nurses. The interviews explored nurses' perceptions of AI, including its basic concepts, applications in nursing practice, ethical and social implications, and potential benefits and drawbacks. RESULTS: The analysis identified four overarching themes: (1) Nurses' Conceptualizations of Artificial Intelligence, (2) Opportunities of AI in Nursing Practice, (3) Threats of AI in Nursing Practice, and (4) Ethical and Psychological Concerns in AI-Based Nursing Practice. The findings revealed that nurses had a foundational understanding of AI and its definitions. They acknowledged both the positive and negative impacts of AI technologies on their practice. Nurses expressed that AI could reduce workload, enhance patient care, and improve efficiency. However, they also articulated significant threats, including concerns over professional redundancy, emotional disconnection in caregiving, de-skilling, and the risk of dehumanizing the healthcare environment. Additionally, ethical and psychological concerns emerged, such as ambiguity in accountability, threats to data security and patient safety, unsuitability in psychiatric care contexts, staff surveillance anxiety, and risks of misuse or systemic bias. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that while nurses possess a basic understanding of AI, the effective and ethical integration of AI technologies in nursing requires targeted training, institutional preparedness, and robust interdisciplinary collaboration. To ensure AI complements rather than compromises nursing values, it is imperative to equip nurses with skills in digital literacy, ethical reasoning, and critical engagement with AI tools. The findings highlight the necessity of structured education programs and policy development that address both the technological and humanistic dimensions of AI use in healthcare. Future research should actively incorporate patient and public voices to ensure that AI-driven transformations in care remain aligned with the principles of patient-centeredness and human dignity.