Will AI replace nurse practitioners? The data

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). They coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare: examining patients, diagnosing, ordering tests, giving anesthesia, delivering babies and prescribing, depending on the role and the state. AI tools can help with notes and records. Caring for patients stays with the nurse.

The short answer: this is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the country. The ILO's 2025 index rates nursing professionals, the closest group, as not exposed with a score of 0.25, and midwifery professionals at minimal exposure with 0.30. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 36 percent growth for the three APRN roles together from 2025 to 2035, and 41 percent for nurse practitioners, with about 32,200 openings a year in total. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.

How exposed nurse practitioners are

The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).

The ILO scores groups of occupations, so these are the closest groups for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives, not scores for each job title itself.

What the BLS projects

The BLS expects growth from rising demand for healthcare, driven most by the aging population and the growing prevalence of chronic disease. It says APRNs will increasingly work in team-based care, and that as states change their laws on APRN practice authority, these nurses are allowed to perform more services. Its outlook does not mention AI.

Where AI is helping

• Drafting visit notes for the clinician to review.
• Summarizing patient records and test results.
• Handling routine messages, forms and prior authorizations.

What stays with nurse practitioners

• Diagnosis and treatment: examining patients and deciding on care.
• Procedures: anesthesia, births and hands-on care.
• Accountability: the licensed nurse answers for the decisions.
• Checking AI help: generated notes and clinical facts can be wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.

How the job is changing

Demand is growing as more states widen what APRNs may do and more patients see them for primary care. AI documentation tools may cut some paperwork, while the clinician stays responsible for what goes in the record. This page is general information, not career advice.

See also will AI replace nurses?, will AI replace physician assistants? and will AI replace doctors?

Pay and how to get in

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for nurse anesthetists nurse midwives and nurse practitioners at $134,920 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: master's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.