AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical
Will AI replace nurse midwives?
Nurse Midwives. US occupation 29-1161.
The reading
5.2%
of the time nurse midwives spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of nurse midwives' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 249 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 67% of them.Further along than 67% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.
What AI already does for nurse midwivesWhat nurse midwives no longer do alone
O*NET lists 21 tasks for nurse midwives. AI use at work shows up in 2 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Write information in medical records or provide narrative summaries to communicate patient information to other health care providers.Core task mostly automated 0.95
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in midwifery.Core task automated and assisted 0.72
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
19 of the 21 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Conduct clinical research on topics such as maternal or infant health care, contraceptive methods, breastfeeding, and gynecological care.Core task
- Consult with or refer patients to appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.Core task
- Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.Core task
- Document findings of physical examinations.Core task
- Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.Core task
- Educate patients and family members regarding prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, or interconception care.Core task
Show the other 13
- Establish practice guidelines for specialty areas such as primary health care of women, care of the childbearing family, and newborn care.Core task
- Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.Core task
- Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.Core task
- Instruct student nurse midwives, medical students, or residents on the birthing process.Core task
- Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.Core task
- Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.Core task
- Perform physical examinations by taking vital signs, checking neurological reflexes, examining breasts, or performing pelvic examinations.Core task
- Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, health care teams, or the community.Core task
- Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.Core task
- Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.Core task
- Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.Core task
- Provide primary health care, including pregnancy and childbirth, to women.Core task
- Manage newborn care during the first weeks of life.
How that compares
Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, nurse midwives rank 15. The group averages 4.1%, and its most exposed job is Medical Records Specialists at 66.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 244Library Technicians 5.4%
- 247Athletic Trainers 5.3%
- 247Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 5.3%
Just below
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.