Billion-dollar tech platforms are aggressively lobbying for deregulation of the 'Uber for nursing' industry, aiming to expand gig work in healthcare, according to a report published on Tuesday by the AI Now Institute.
The report, 'Uber for Nursing Part II', examines how artificial intelligence is used to staff hospitals and other facilities, warning that the growing use of this technology comes at the expense of workers' rights, protections and pay.
Gig nursing platforms rely on AI to set pay rates, monitor performance, and determine future access to shifts. Nurses bid on shifts through auctions where the lowest wage wins. The industry has been lucrative, with three platforms reaching a $1bn valuation, and has secured government contracts to staff public facilities including ICE detention centres.
Since 2022, lawmakers in at least 17 US states have introduced bills to exempt gig nursing platforms from regulations applied to other healthcare staffing agencies. Exemption bills have advanced in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Rhode Island. Some states have also advanced policies exempting these platforms from worker protection laws.
The report likens these lobbying efforts to those of ride-share companies seeking to avoid taxi regulations. It contrasts this with New York, which passed a law in 2025 mandating that gig platforms comply with state regulations for healthcare staffing agencies.
Dr Katie J Wells, co-author of the report, expressed concern that if this model continues to gain acceptance, many jobs could go this way, with AI facilitating a bidding war against nurses and undermining patient wellbeing.
