Are Artificial Intelligence and Robot Nurses a Threat to Student Nurses?: A Quasi‐Experimental Study

BACKGROUND: With the continuous advancement of technology, it is predicted that artificial intelligence technologies will be utilised more by academicians and students in nursing education. There are no studies examining the awareness and concerns of artificial intelligence and robot nurses. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effect of the training provided to increase nursing students' awareness of artificial intelligence and robot nurses on the anxiety of students towards artificial intelligence. DESIGN: It is a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental type study in line with STROBE instructions. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted with 282 nursing students between 15 December 2022 and 15 October 2023. METHODS: Introductory Information Form, 'Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Test (AIK)', and 'Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale (AIAS)' were employed to collect the data of the study. The data obtained in the study were analysed through SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 25.0 software. RESULTS: The nursing students were female (68.8%), and 83.7% of them had heard of concepts of artificial intelligence and robot nurses. The mean knowledge score of the students before the training on artificial intelligence and robot nurses was 63.08 ± 9.96, the mean knowledge score after the training was 66.70 ± 9.85 and a significant difference was detected between the mean knowledge scores (p < 0.05). The mean score of the AIAS scale was 4586 ± 11.18 before the training, 4810 ± 11.59 after the training and a significant difference was detected between the mean scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that, as a result of the training provided for artificial intelligence and robot nurses, students' knowledge levels and their anxiety towards artificial intelligence increased. The results may guide the inclusion of artificial intelligence in the curriculum of nursing education for artificial intelligence and robot nurses.