World's First Patient to Undergo Live AI-Assisted Brain Surgery Has Tumour Removed
The world's first patient to have brain surgery with live artificial intelligence assistance has successfully had his tumour removed. Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without the operation, said surgeons at University College London Hospital. The AI tool analysed a video feed of the operation as it happened and advised surgeons on how to avoid crucial but hidden vessels and nerves in the brain, allowing them to safely remove as much of the tumour as possible.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Thu, 27 August 2026 · 2 min read
The world's first patient to have brain surgery with live artificial intelligence assistance has successfully had his tumour removed. Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without the operation, said surgeons at University College London Hospital. The AI tool analysed a video feed of the operation as it happened and advised surgeons on how to avoid crucial but hidden vessels and nerves in the brain, allowing them to safely remove as much of the tumour as possible.
Until 18 months ago, 48-year-old Hibbert, a customer services manager, was fit and healthy, going on a two-mile walk every lunchtime. A brain scan revealed he had an 11mm non-cancerous tumour growing on the pituitary gland — a marble-sized organ at the base of the skull that secretes vital hormones. Crucially, the gland sits very close to the carotid arteries and the optic nerves that control vision. As Hibbert's tumour began to press on his optic nerves, it narrowed his peripheral vision and caused severe fatigue and dizziness.
The surgery involved inserting an endoscope via the nose to the base of the skull. At this point the tumour was close but hidden behind layers of bone and tough membrane. Identifying the safest place to extract it was not straightforward, particularly as anatomy differs between individuals. Complication rates vary but there was a 25–50% chance of not getting the whole tumour out and a 0.5–2% chance of injuring a major blood vessel.
On a second screen, the AI tool analysed the live video feed, tracked the surgical instruments, and marked up areas where the vessels and nerves were most likely to be, highlighting areas where it is safest to remove the tumour. It is similar to facial recognition technology but recognises important and often hidden anatomical structures instead. The average UK surgeon performs about 10 to 20 of these operations a year, relying on scans done before surgery. The team trained their AI system on hundreds of videos of pituitary tumour removals, carefully drawing around the vessels and nerves to help the system "recognise" the most important structures.
"It's trained on more operations than most surgeons see or do in a lifetime and can act like an expert second pair of eyes," said Prof Hani Marcus, who helped carry out the procedure. The team's long-term ambition is to develop a type of ChatGPT for surgeons — "another expert in the room they can turn to for advice if they want it — or leave if they disagree with it." Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Google, the team is now working on a larger trial.
**Sources:** BBC
Source Reporters corrects errors promptly. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — read our editorial standards and corrections policy.