Artificial Intelligence and Images Portraying Nurses Through the Decades

Since the middle of the 20th century, the public image of nurses has undergone significant transformation. Shifts in social and gender norms, media portrayal of stereotypes, and evolving healthcare roles for nurses have all contributed to the public perception of nursing. With technological advancements and the explosion of generative artificial intelligence (GAI), images of nurses can now be created in seconds with text-to-image generators; however, these images may contain biases and stereotypes which can lead to continued misperceptions which potentially harm the nursing profession. The purpose of this research study was to empirically and systematically examine GAI images of nurses (n = 288) from three AI image generators using quantitative content analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the three image generators regarding gender, ethnic diversity, and the sexualization of nurses in images. The study findings highlight the need for critical evaluation of AI-generated imagery to address biases and stereotypes, with implications for leveraging AI technologies responsibly to promote an accurate and diverse representation of the contemporary nursing profession.