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Senate committee hears bill to bar AI from using nursing titles
Summary
Sen. Bateman introduced SB 5,904 to clarify that only a human may hold nursing titles and to require chatbots to disclose they are not nurses; nurses' associations and practicing clinicians testified in strong support, citing patient safety and transparency concerns.
The Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee opened hearings Jan. 16 on Senate Bill 5,904, which would clarify that nursing titles — such as "nurse," "registered nurse" and "nurse practitioner" — may be held only by human individuals and would prohibit non‑human entities from using those titles or their abbreviations.
Sponsor Senator Bateman told the committee the measure is aimed at "encourag[ing] transparency and confidence in our healthcare system" as AI tools proliferate. "When you are talking with someone online ... we want to ensure that you know if you're talking to a real person and a real nurse," Bateman said.
Justin Gill, president of the Washington State Nurses Association and an urgent care nurse practitioner, testified SB 5,904 protects patients by preserving human clinical judgment and accountability. "AI cannot and must not replace the judgment, expertise, accountability, and human connection that are central to the nursing profession," Gill said. Jessica Hoffe, WSNA director of government affairs, told senators the bill is a foundational step to put guardrails around AI in health care and to ensure that "people need and deserve to know exactly who or what they're getting their health care advice from." Dolores Prescott, a registered nurse of 30 years testifying remotely, said automated tools risk reinforcing disparities and that "nursing is fundamentally relational and requires ethical judgment that cannot be safely or ethically automated."
Committee staff Jacob Ewing outlined current Washington licensing categories and said the bill simply clarifies that only a human person may hold a nursing title. The vice chair reported sign‑in tallies in the hearing record (transcript noted "939 signed in pro, 4 con, and 2 other"). The committee closed the hearing without taking a vote.
The measure would not regulate clinical uses of AI tools but would restrict labeling and title usage. The committee may next deliberate amendments or executive action on the bill; no final action was recorded in the hearing.
Provenance: topic introduced SEG 021; topic closed SEG 254.
