Purpose This study aimed to investigate professional nurses’ general attitudes toward artificial intelligence, their knowledge and perceptions of ChatGPT usage, and the influencing factors. Methods The population of the research consists of nurses who follow a social media platform account in Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 288 nurses who participated in the study between December 2023 and March 2024. Data were collected through an account on a social media platform via Google Forms using the Information Identification Questionnaire for ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Programs and the General Attitudes to Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS). Results The mean scores obtained from the overall GAAIS and its Positive Attitudes subscale from the participants in this study were 67.54 ± 13.14 and 41.89 ± 11.24, respectively. Of the participants, 48.3% knew about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence programs. Of the participants, 27.8% used ChatGPT and artificial intelligence programs. Their scores for the Positive Attitude subscale were higher than were the scores of those who did not use such programs. Of the participants, 84.4% thought that nurses should be made aware of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence programs, 67% thought that the use of these programs would contribute to nurses’ professional development, 42.4% thought that the use of these programs would not reduce nurses’ workload, and 58.3% thought that the use of these programs would positively affect patient care. Conclusion In this study, it can be said that nurses in Turkey have positive attitudes toward integrating ChatGPT and AI programs to improve patient outcomes and add them to nursing practices. Implications for nursing practice The present study in which nurses’ attitudes toward the implementation of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence programs were investigated is expected to provide information for healthcare institutions, policy makers and artificial intelligence developers on the integration of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence into nursing practice. It is necessary to create environments that use AI technologies that reduce the nursing workload of nurses in the clinical area and positively affect the quality of patient care.
