We are living in a time of acceleration.

Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented rate. Social media algorithms shape what we see, how we think, and even how we measure our worth. The internet connects us instantly — yet anxiety, depression, and loneliness continue to rise, especially among younger generations.

In a recent conversation between entrepreneur Steven Bartlett and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, Haidt discussed the unintended consequences of the digital age: the way social media platforms, initially built to connect us, have been optimized for profit and engagement at the expense of human wellbeing.

And it raises a sobering question:

If AI continues to automate cognitive work, and if universal basic income (UBI) becomes a serious policy discussion in response to job displacement, what happens to the human psyche when work — and the meaning derived from work — begins to disappear? Could nursing, with its face-to-face interactions, physical presence, touch, and community, become one of the few careers that not only survives AI — but stands in contrast to it?

The “Shitification” of the Digital World

In his conversation with Steven Bartlett, Jonathan Haidt describes how social media platforms and digital systems have gradually been “shitified” — optimized for profit, engagement metrics, and shareholder growth rather than human flourishing. What began as tools for connection have evolved into systems that amplify outrage, fear, comparison, and addiction. The same concerns that now loom over AI.

AI has the potential to improve efficiency, expand access to information, and reduce workload. But if designed primarily for productivity and profit, it risks deepening a cultural narrative that humans are replaceable — that our cognitive contributions can be outsourced, automated, and scaled. And for the younger generations especially, this creates a troubling psychological undercurrent of feeling “useless”.

The Psychological Cost of Uselessness

Work is not just income.

Work provides:

• Identity
• Structure
• Community
• Contribution
• Purpose

The idea of Universal Basic Income is often discussed as an economic safety net in a future where AI replaces large sectors of employment. But Haidt argues that removing meaningful work without replacing the sense of contribution may create a deeper crisis. A society in which people feel economically supported but existentially unnecessary may face rising rates of depression, anxiety, disengagement, suicide, and (potentially) violence.

The feeling of being “useless” is not a minor discomfort. It strikes at the core of human dignity. And this is where nursing stands apart.

Nursing: Deeply Human Work in a Digital Age

Nursing is not just cognitive labor.

It is:

• Physical presence
• Emotional attunement
• Touch
• Advocacy
• Pattern recognition
• Community building
• Crisis response

AI can assist with documentation. It can analyze data. It can flag risk trends. It can even provide patient education, but it cannot:

• Hold a laboring woman’s hand.
• Sense subtle emotional shifts in a postpartum mother.
• Navigate family dynamics in real time.
• Build trust in a moment of fear.
• Advocate in the gray areas where humanity outweighs protocol.

Nursing relies on connection, communication, compassion, and embodied presence. It is relational at its core and relationships do not scale through algorithms.

The Paradox: A Career Under Strain

And yet — nursing is not an easy answer. The profession carries enormous burdens:

• Burnout
• Safety risks
• Long hours
• Short staffing
• Nights, weekends, holidays
• Emotional labor

In many ways, nursing feels unsustainable in its current structure. But perhaps that is the deeper challenge of our time. If nursing is one of the few careers rooted in irreplaceable human interaction, then strengthening it becomes not just a workforce issue — but a societal one.

Can Nursing Become AI-Proof?

AI-proof does not mean untouched by technology. Nursing will evolve, it will adapt, it will integrate AI tools (there are already areas of bedside charting that have began implementing AI).

But the foundation of nursing — embodied care, human judgment, relational trust — is not easily automated. The real question may not be “Will nursing survive AI?” It may instead be: “Will we invest in nursing enough to preserve what makes it indispensable?”

That means:

• Supporting nurses’ mental health.
• Strengthening nursing organizations.
• Expanding nurse coaching and mentorship.
• Advocating for safe staffing.
• Elevating nursing leadership.
• Reinforcing resilience and adaptability within the profession.

Nurses have historically adapted to every medical revolution. There is no reason to believe we won’t adapt to this one. In a world increasingly mediated by screens, algorithms, and automation, the professions that remain deeply human may become the most valuable.

Nursing is messy, it’s exhausting, and it is imperfect. But it’s also intimate, necessary, and human.

I believe that with the rise of nurse coaching, the strengthening of nursing professional organizations, and a renewed commitment to sustainability within the field, nursing can — and likely will — remain one of the few AI-resistant professions of our future.

Not because it resists technology but because it embodies something technology cannot replace: human care.

– Ideas and outline by Aileen Vonderheide, BSN, RN, NC-BC. Written in partnership with AI.