London surgeons used AI to remove a brain tumour, and their patient kept his sight

Key points

• Surgeons at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London completed the world's first AI-assisted brain tumour removal in May 2025.
• The patient, Rhys Hibbert, aged 48, retained his sight after the procedure, which targeted critical anatomy that could have blinded him.
• The AI system analysed live footage from the surgical camera in real time to identify structures the team needed to avoid cutting.
• Details were kept private for several weeks while Hibbert recovered before being released on Thursday.

Rhys Hibbert went into surgery knowing the stakes. The tumour in his brain sat close to structures that control vision. One wrong cut and he would likely never see normally again.

He came out with his sight intact.

Surgeons at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London Hospitals NHS trust, performed the operation in May 2025. What made it different from every previous brain tumour removal was a layer of real-time AI assistance: software that watched the live camera feed from inside the skull and highlighted critical anatomy as the team worked.

Think of it like a satnav overlay for surgery. The operating team could see the tumour, but the AI continuously flagged the surrounding structures that carry signals between the eye and the brain, structures that look, to the human eye, very similar to the tissue that needs to come out.

What did the AI actually do?

The system processed video from the surgical camera frame by frame, identifying anatomical landmarks in real time and alerting surgeons to areas of high risk. It did not hold a scalpel or make decisions. It acted as a second pair of eyes, one that never blinks and never gets tired.

For a nurse, a teacher, or anyone who has sat in a waiting room wondering whether a surgeon is working at their best after a long shift, that matters. Fatigue is real. Attention drifts. An AI layer that keeps flagging "this structure must not be cut" adds a genuine safety net.

Does this mean AI is now doing surgery?

No. The surgeons were in control throughout. The AI provided information; the humans used it. That distinction is important and worth keeping in mind as the coverage spreads.

The NHNN is part of one of the most specialised neuroscience centres in the world, and this was a carefully controlled first case, not a rollout. Hibbert's operation was reported first by The Guardian.

But a successful first case in brain surgery is significant. The brain has almost no margin for error. If AI-assisted visual analysis can work there, it opens a credible path toward similar tools in other complex procedures, spinal surgery, eye operations, reconstructive work, where the cost of a slip is permanent.

Hibbert spent weeks recovering before the hospital released any details. The fact that he is well enough for the story to be told is, on its own, good news.

Common questions

Is AI-assisted surgery available at other hospitals?

Not yet in this form. This was a world first. The technology will need further trials and regulatory review before other hospitals can adopt it routinely.

Should patients ask about AI tools before their own operations?

It is always reasonable to ask your surgical team what guidance or decision-support tools they use. This case shows AI assistance can be a safety benefit, not something to fear, but the technology is still early-stage outside specialist centres.