World-first: AI guides live brain surgery in the UK to save patient's sight

A man in England has become the first patient to undergo live AI-assisted brain surgery, which protected his sight during the removal of a brain tumour, the University College London Hospitals announced on Thursday.

Rhys Hibbert, a 48-year-old from Bedfordshire, was diagnosed in December 2024 when he collapsed during a walk and suffered a seizure.

As his symptoms worsened, Hibbert opted for surgery and volunteered to take part in research.

“If patients are not prepared to join research how can doctors ever learn and how can medicine ever progress?” he said.

“Asked if I would be prepared to be the world's first patient to have this technology used live… I said, yes, of course.”

According to Hibbert’s doctors, the tumour would have continued to threaten his sight and could ultimately have led to blindness. The operation successfully removed the growth and protected his vision.

Hibbert said that upon waking from surgery, his vision had dramatically improved: “When I came round… I could see everything in the room clearly.”

The operation was carried out at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London Hospitals (UCLH), as part of a clinical trial using AI technology developed in-house at University College London and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

During the surgery, the AI analysed the live surgical video feed in real time, rather than using pre-surgery scans, helping the surgical team make more precise decisions by highlighting critical structures at the base of the brain, UCLH explained.

In this part of the brain, the pituitary gland — which is the size of a marble — sits tightly blood vessels and nerves controlling vision. A margin of error of just a millimetre can prove critical, potentially leading to death, blindness or stroke.

The doctors explained that AI supported the surgical team by helping identify risky areas to avoid while removing as much of the tumour as safely possible.

It also has the potential to track surgical instruments and instrument–tissue interactions, with the aim of supporting surgeons during complex procedures and providing feedback.

“This is an example of AI at its best: patients getting care previously deemed unimaginable thanks to the latest groundbreaking technology,” said James Frith, the UK’s Health Innovation Minister.

He added that AI needs proper safeguards and we will always ensure that safety is taken seriously.