- Kaiser Permanente nurses report workplace surveillance threatens patient care, with call times over 15 minutes leading to performance criticism.
- Kaiser uses AI to predict nurse productivity, answer speed, and rate empathy and tone, despite claims of human oversight and no use of 'average handle time' for assessments.
- Nurses describe pressure to limit calls to 15 minutes even for complex cases, risking compassionate care and patient safety.
- California Nurses Association negotiates a new contract with Kaiser, focusing on AI issues, after strikes and protests against AI tools.
- California lawmakers consider bills to regulate AI in the workplace, including protections for healthcare workers overriding automated recommendations.
- Critics argue algorithmic management increases stress, burnout, and mistakes, while reducing nurse autonomy and job satisfaction.
- Kaiser explores AI beyond call centers, such as for patient risk identification and discharge decisions, raising concerns about automation and equity.
- Unions push for transparency and worker input in AI deployments, with campaigns to report unnoticed AI implementations.
- Nurses fear AI tools like empathy detectors may discriminate and prioritize efficiency over patient care, turning nurses into 'automatons'.