World’s First AI-Assisted Brain Surgery Patient Has Tumour Successfully Removed

The world’s first patient to undergo AI brain surgery with live artificial intelligence assistance has successfully had his tumour removed, according to surgeons at University College London Hospital.

Rhys Hibbert, a father of two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight entirely without the operation, surgeons said. During the procedure, an AI tool analyzed a live video feed as the surgery unfolded, advising the surgical team on how to safely navigate around crucial but hidden vessels and nerves in the brain, allowing them to remove as much of the tumour as possible while minimizing risk.

“From a patient safety perspective, I can see absolutely the benefit. There are no road signs inside our head,” Hibbert said.

How Hibbert’s Diagnosis Unfolded

Until roughly 18 months ago, 48-year-old Hibbert, a customer services manager, was fit and healthy, regularly taking a two-mile walk every lunchtime. It was during one of these walks that he suddenly fell unconscious and began seizing in the road.

A subsequent brain scan revealed an 11-millimeter non-cancerous tumour growing on his pituitary gland, a marble-sized organ located at the base of the skull. The gland plays a critical role in secreting hormones essential for growth, metabolism, and regulating blood pressure and body temperature.

Crucially, the pituitary gland sits extremely close to the carotid arteries, which supply blood directly to the brain, and the optic nerves, which control vision. As Hibbert’s tumour began pressing against his optic nerves, his peripheral vision started narrowing significantly.

Living With Fatigue and Dizziness

While surgery wasn’t immediately necessary, Hibbert began experiencing frequent tripping, severe fatigue, and dizziness in the months that followed. “For 18 years of married life I’ve always got out of bed and made my wife a cup of coffee,” Hibbert said, “and I wasn’t going to let this tumour stop that.”

He described the emotional and psychological toll as the most difficult part of his experience. “Though I had a lot of people kindly offering help, you don’t want to be a burden on people,” he added.

When surgeons offered him the opportunity to become the first patient to undergo the procedure using their newly developed AI tool, Hibbert didn’t hesitate. “If patients are not prepared to join research how can doctors ever learn and how can medicine ever progress?” he said.

Why AI Brain Surgery Was Needed for This Procedure

AI brain surgery technology proved essential for this particular operation. The procedure involved inserting a thin camera, known as an endoscope, through the nose to reach the base of the skull. At that point, the tumour remained hidden behind layers of bone and tough surrounding membrane, making it particularly difficult to locate the safest extraction point, especially given how much individual brain anatomy can vary from patient to patient.

Complication rates for this type of surgery vary considerably, with a 25 to 50% chance surgeons might not fully remove the tumour, and a smaller but serious 0.5 to 2% risk of injuring a major blood vessel during the procedure. This is precisely where the AI system proved most valuable.

A “Surgical ChatGPT” in the Operating Room

On a secondary screen, the AI tool analyzed the live video feed in real time, tracking surgical instruments while marking areas where critical vessels and nerves were most likely located, helping surgeons identify the safest zones to remove tumour tissue. The technology functions somewhat like facial recognition software on a smartphone, but instead identifies important, often hidden anatomical structures within the brain.

The average UK surgeon performs only about 10 to 20 of these particular operations annually, typically relying on pre-surgery scans to familiarize themselves with each patient’s unique anatomy beforehand. To build the AI system, researchers trained and evaluated it using hundreds of recorded videos of pituitary tumour removals, carefully outlining vessels and nerves in each video to help the system learn to recognize these critical structures accurately.

“It is trained on more operations than most surgeons see or do in a lifetime and can act like an expert second pair of eyes,” said Professor Hani Marcus, who helped perform the procedure. Unlike other experimental AI tools currently in development, this system operates entirely in real time during live surgery, he noted.

Surgeons Emphasize They Remain in Full Control

The research team was careful to clarify that AI brain surgery technology exists purely to assist surgeons, who retain complete control throughout the procedure at all times. Their longer-term ambition involves developing something akin to a specialized version of ChatGPT built specifically for surgeons, giving them access to what Professor Marcus described as “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 alongside Google, and developed by researchers at UCL, the team spent years testing and refining the technology in laboratory settings before its first real-world application. Researchers say they’re pleased with how this initial live surgery unfolded and are now preparing a larger clinical trial to further evaluate the system’s effectiveness.

“It’s Given Me My Life Back”

“When I opened my eyes after the operation it felt like I had got 360-degree vision, I hadn’t seen that clearly for a year,” Hibbert said. In the eight weeks since his surgery, he’s noticed his vision continuing to improve gradually every few days.

“I also have my energy back and all of the side effects I was suffering before surgery have gone,” he added. “It’s given me my life back.”

James Frith, the UK’s health innovation minister, expressed satisfaction that Hibbert had access to what he called life-changing surgery as part of government-funded research. “AI needs proper safeguards and we will always ensure that safety is taken seriously,” Frith said. “But we will also ensure we benefit from the opportunities it brings.”

As AI brain surgery continues transforming outcomes for patients like Hibbert, “It’s given me my life back,” he said.