AI, Gig Work, and the Future of Nursing

AI, Gig Work, and the Future of Nursing

From The Tech Policy Press Podcast by Tech Policy Press

May 3, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

This episode explores how AI is transforming the nursing profession and the implications for patient care and community health.

In this episode, Tech Policy Press fellow Chris Mills Rodrigo speaks with Katie Wells , a senior fellow at the AI Now Institute and the author of two reports on the 'gig-ification' of nursing, to dig into how AI is reshaping the profession from the inside out. Rodrigo and Wells examine what's actually being deployed in hospitals: scheduling algorithms, productivity tools, and a fast-growing app-based contingent workforce that is turning bedside care into something closer to gig work. Wells reports that these trends prefigure the broader adoption of AI in healthcare, raising questions not only about the stability of the profession and the quality of patient care, but also about how the degradation of healthcare work affects communities.

People in this episode

Host: Chris Mills Rodrigo

Guest: Katie Wells

Topics covered

  • AI
  • gig work
  • nursing
  • healthcare
  • technology
  • patient care

Keywords

  • AI
  • nursing
  • gig work
  • healthcare
  • scheduling algorithms
  • productivity tools
  • app-based workforce

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AI Now Institute

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