Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, has become the first person in the world to undergo brain surgery guided by real-time artificial intelligence. The 48-year-old had been suffering from an 11mm non-cancerous tumor on his pituitary gland that sat dangerously close to the carotid arteries and optic nerves. As it grew, it pressed on his optic nerves, narrowing his peripheral vision and causing severe fatigue, dizziness, and seizures. Surgeons at University College London Hospital offered him the chance to be the first patient to try their bespoke AI tool during the operation. The surgery involved inserting an endoscope via the nose to the base of the skull, where the tumor was hidden behind layers of bone and tough membrane. On a second screen, the AI system analyzed the live video feed, tracked the surgical instruments, and marked up areas where vessels and nerves were most likely to be, highlighting the safest zones for tumor removal. It works similarly to facial recognition on phones, but identifies critical anatomical structures instead of faces. 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 Prof Hani Marcus. The system was trained on hundreds of videos and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Google. The team's long-term ambition is to develop a Surgical ChatGPT for surgeons. Eight weeks after surgery, Hibbert reported dramatic improvement and said it gave him his life back.

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