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Will AI replace nurse midwives?

A little.

This job scores 75 out of 100 on (higher is safer). Today AI could do about 10% of the work by itself, people do 40% with AI’s help, and 50% still needs a person.

Updated 3 October 2026O*NET-SOC 29-1161UK SOC 2231Release 2026-Q4
Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalNurse Midwives29-1161 · 2026-Q4
10% AI does it40% AI helps50% needs a human
Your job's name, lit by the work that still needs a human.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
Each ridge is a slice of the job's task time.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
The job’s mark

No two jobs leave the same print

Every job gets its own fingerprint, drawn from its code. The amber ridges are the share of task time that still needs a person. Below them, the same ridges are written out in ones and zeros: slate for the work AI helps with, white for the work AI can do.

Nurse Midwives, O*NET-SOC 29-1161. 50% of the job’s task time still needs a human, so 50 of every 100 ridges are amber; slate is what AI helps with, white what AI can do.

What AI can and cannot do

The tasks that make up the job, from O*NET, and where AI stands on each today. 50% of the task time still needs a human.

Each block is one task; its height is its share of working time.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
The job's task list: the parts AI can do are blacked out.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.Needs a human
Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.Needs a human
Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.AI helps
Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.Needs a human
Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.Needs a human
Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.AI helps
Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.AI helps
Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.AI helps
Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.Needs a human
Document findings of physical examinations.AI helps
Educate patients and family members regarding prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, or interconception care.Needs a human
Perform physical examinations by taking vital signs, checking neurological reflexes, examining breasts, or performing pelvic examinations.Needs a human
Write information in medical records or provide narrative summaries to communicate patient information to other health care providers.AI does it
Provide primary health care, including pregnancy and childbirth, to women.Needs a human
Consult with or refer patients to appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.AI helps
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in midwifery.AI does it
Instruct student nurse midwives, medical students, or residents on the birthing process.Needs a human
Establish practice guidelines for specialty areas such as primary health care of women, care of the childbearing family, and newborn care.AI helps
Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, health care teams, or the community.AI helps
Conduct clinical research on topics such as maternal or infant health care, contraceptive methods, breastfeeding, and gynecological care.AI helps
Manage newborn care during the first weeks of life.Needs a human

Is it better than a person? The evidence

No direct test against people in this job yet. Every study is graded A to D, and vendor studies are labelled as such.

When could it be replaced?

Could be largely automated no sooner than 2041

80% of scenarios after 2041. A range from our scenario model of capability, adoption and friction, not a forecast that the job ends.

The sand is the human working years left, measured in the same 40-year glass for every job, so a safe trade starts nearly full and an exposed job with a thin layer.

The sand is the human working years left, in the same 40-year glass for every job.Years still needing a humanYears run out

How this job could shift, year by year

Where the job could sit on our scale each year to 2060, across the ten scenarios behind its replacement range.

Today
Will AI replace this job?
A little.
By 2045
60%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2045 (Largely.)
10% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)
By 2060
90%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2060 (Largely.)
10% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)

We run this job as ten scenarios spread across its replacement range. In each, the score moves towards the bottom band (Largely: AI could largely do the job) by the year that scenario reaches it, slowly at first and faster later, as adoption usually goes. Each bar splits the ten by the band they put the job in. The model stops at 2060. How the timeline works

Share of this job's scenarios in each verdict band, today to 20600%25%50%75%100%2026: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)100%Today2030: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)100%20302035: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)30%2035: 50.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)50%2035: 20.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)20%20352040: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2040: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)30%2040: 40.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)40%2040: 20.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)20%20402045: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2045: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)30%2045: 60.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)60%20452050: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2050: 20.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)20%2050: 70.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)70%20502055: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2055: 90.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)90%20552060: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2060: 90.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)90%2060
Will AI replace the job?Largely.Mostly.Partly.A little.Nah.
Share of this job's scenarios in each band, year by year. Updated with every release.
Show the data
YearLargelyMostlyPartlyA littleNah
Today (2026)0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%
20300.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%
20350.0%20.0%50.0%30.0%0.0%
204020.0%40.0%30.0%10.0%0.0%
204560.0%30.0%0.0%10.0%0.0%
205070.0%20.0%0.0%10.0%0.0%
205590.0%0.0%0.0%10.0%0.0%
206090.0%0.0%0.0%10.0%0.0%

What’s stopping AI taking over?

The things that keep this work with people, strongest first. Each is scored 0 to 100 from O*NET work context, licensing and the evidence we have.

Clients want a personFace-to-face contact is rated 5.0 and physical closeness 4.9 out of 5; caring for or serving people is 4.9 out of 5 in importance.
LiabilityMistakes are rated 4.7 out of 5 for consequence and decisions 4.5 out of 5 for impact; someone has to answer for them.
LicensingUsual entry requirement (BLS): master's degree; the work is licensed in all or most US states.
RegulationWorkers rate responsibility for others' health and safety 4.0 out of 5; the sector has its own rules on who may do the work.
Evidence gapNo study yet compares AI with people doing this job, so employers have no proof it is good enough.
Physical work35% of the task time is physical; robots have been shown on 0% of that time.

What would it cost to hand the work to AI?

The share of the year AI could handle (470 of 2,080 hours a year), priced two ways. Both are ranges, not quotes.

AI model usage, a year
$50–$4,700
A person’s wage for the same hours
$21,160–$42,560

AI cost covers model usage only: no integration, licences, oversight or the human time still needed to review the work. Human cost is the wage for the same hours, without benefits or overheads. As of 2026-10.

Robots and humanoids

AI software can only take the work at a screen. The rest needs a robot that can do it.

35%
of the task time is physical work
Dexterous humanoid
the kind of robot the physical work would need
Not commercial: no cited robot does most of this work; humanoids are at demonstration and pilot stage.

Source: Anthropic Economic Index, 'What work can robots do?' (30 September 2026); O*NET 31.0 task weights.

Which AI skills does this job lean on?

The job’s task time split by what an AI model would need to be good at, and where models stand today.

Each star is a task, grouped by the AI skill it leans on.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
Writing · 20.5% of time
Strong
Drafts, edits and translates most routine documents at professional quality.
Analysis · 17.3% of time
Strong
Reliable on structured data and rules; uneven on judgement calls with thin information.
Coding · 0% of time
Strong
Agents complete many routine software tasks end to end; larger systems still need people.
Vision and design · 0% of time
Good
Reads documents, images and layouts well; specialist imaging needs dedicated, approved tools.
Speech · 0% of time
Good
Voice agents handle routine calls and live interpreting; complex or sensitive calls still go to people.
Planning and agents · 12.1% of time
Emerging
Multi-step agents work in narrow, well-tooled workflows; open-ended coordination is unreliable.
Physical manipulation · 34.7% of time
Early
Robots handle structured, repetitive handling; general dexterity outside fixed settings is not commercial.
Care and persuasion · 15.4% of time
Limited
Can script, coach and advise; trust, presence and accountability still need a person.
Amber matter holds its orbit, slate circles the inner disc, white falls in.Needs a human 50%AI helps 40%AI does it 10%
How exposed is it?

Still needs a human: 75/100↑ safer

The amber matter on the outside holds its orbit: that is the task time that still needs a person. The slate matter circling the inner disc is the work AI helps with. The white matter is the share AI can do; it spirals in and is gone over the edge.

The matter follows the job’s task split: 50% needs a human, 40% AI helps, 10% AI does it. Still needs a human: 75/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? A little.

What the AIs say

We asked four AI assistants the same question: will AI replace this job in the next 10 years? One word (Yes, Partly or No), then one sentence. Our own answer, from the data: Still needs a human: 75/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? A little.

ChatGPTPartly

AI will likely automate some administrative, monitoring, and decision-support tasks, but nurse midwives’ hands-on clinical care, judgment, empathy, and relationship-based support will remain essential.

gpt-5.5-2026-04-23 · asked 2026-10-03
ClaudeNo

Midwifery relies heavily on hands-on physical care, emotional support, and trust-based human relationships during labor and birth that AI cannot replicate or perform.

claude-sonnet-5 · asked 2026-10-03
GeminiNo

While AI will increasingly assist with administrative tasks and fetal monitoring, it cannot replace the complex physical procedures, emergency clinical judgment, and essential human empathy required in midwifery.

gemini-3.8-flash · asked 2026-10-03
PerplexityNo

AI is likely to automate documentation and decision-support tasks while nurse midwives continue providing essential hands-on care, judgment, and emotional support.

sonar · asked 2026-10-03

Assistants answer from what they learned in training (Perplexity also searches the web), so they can be confidently wrong, and the same question can get a different answer tomorrow. Our score is built from task data and graded evidence. Answers collected through DataForSEO.

Cite this page

NeedsAHuman.com (2026). Will AI replace Nurse Midwives? A little. Still needs a human: 75/100, higher is safer; release 2026-Q4. https://needsahuman.com/jobs/nurse-midwives/ (accessed 3 October 2026).

Scores change with each , so cite the release. The data is open under : credit NeedsAHuman.com with a link. Open data · Press

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The badge updates itself with each release and links back to this page.

Sources

  • Tasks and work context: 31.0, ().
  • Jobs, pay and projections: US , and 2025–35.
  • How AI is used today: ; Microsoft Research, .
  • What AI can do: our task ratings ( r1) and the quality evidence register.
  • UK names and employment: coding index and .

How each score is built: methodology. Every figure on this page: open data. Release 2026-Q4.