NVIDIA’s AI nurses to cost $9/hour
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Software company Nvidia announced a collaboration with tech firm Hippocratic AI to develop AI-powered “agents” that can replace human nurses at a fraction of the cost.
These AI nurses, costing hospitals just $9 per hour, are believed to outperform human nurses, who can cost $90 an hour.
In NVIDIA’s demo, an AI agent named Rachel verbally advises a patient on how to take penicillin. The AI nurses range in specialties from “Colonoscopy Screening” to “Breast Cancer Care Manager,” all for less than minimum wage.
Hippocratic AI claims its agents outperformed human nurses in identifying medication impacts, detecting disallowed medications, comparing lab values, and identifying toxic dosages.
“Voice-based digital agents powered by generative AI can usher in an age of abundance in healthcare, but only if the technology responds to patients as a human would,” said Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s VP of Healthcare.
This has sparked concerns within the nursing community, as over 32,000 nurses went on strike in 2023, citing worker shortages, poor working conditions, and low salaries.
“Labor is the main expense in healthcare, so how do you make money? You squeeze your labor costs,” said Janette Dill, a professor at the University of Minnesota. She noted the potential for cost-cutting measures to address the U.S. nursing staffing shortage.
While Hippocratic AI assures that its agents won’t make diagnoses and will engage human doctors when necessary, the ethical implications of replacing human nurses with AI remain a controversial issue in the healthcare industry.
