Artificial Intelligence Through the Eyes of Psychiatric Nurses: An In-Depth Investigation of Thought, Anxiety and Readiness

This study aimed to explore psychiatric nurses' thoughts, concerns, and readiness regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in care. AI is increasingly entering psychiatric practice, yet how nurses will integrate it remains underexplored. Using a phenomenological design and purposeful sampling, data were collected via in-depth interviews with 20 psychiatric nurses. Colaizzi's method was employed for analysis. Four main themes emerged: (1) The Paradox of Artificial Intelligence's Inability to Understand Humanity, (2) Watching Eyes and Misleading Judgments, (3) Shadows of Security and Privacy, and (4) Difficulty of Adaptation and the Human Factor. Nurses expressed doubts about AI's capacity for empathy and abstract reasoning, emphasizing that it may misjudge patients and create ethical dilemmas. Concerns were also raised about AI's limitations in observation-based assessments and its potential to disrupt nurse-patient dynamics. The study recommends training for both nurses and patients, clear task definitions for AI, and implementation under human supervision. It highlights the critical role of psychiatric nurses in guiding ethical integration and promoting accurate information. These findings support a cautious, evidence-based approach to integrating AI into psychiatric care within broader digital health policies.