Morning, Thursday, 26th February 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the development, regulation, and implementation of AI in healthcare as it moves from pilots into wider use.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the future of AI in the NHS in light of ambitions in the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS to be the most AI-enabled healthcare system in the world. The agenda will consider opportunities for innovation and growth, alongside priorities for safety and an evidence-based approach, as well as questions around workforce capabilities, equity and public confidence.
Use cases & integration
There will be discussion on enabling AI use cases in precision medicine, guidance through the NHS App, and deployment to ease administrative burdens. Planned sessions will assess next steps for integrating AI across the NHS, public trust and awareness, workforce education, and maintaining patient safety and quality of care whilst developing automation and improving efficiency.
Regulation & oversight
Priorities for regulation will be examined, as a National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare is appointed to review existing arrangements and to recommend a new framework. Delegates will consider how regulatory gaps can be addressed and how innovation can be encouraged while maintaining safety, consistency and public confidence - looking at emerging technologies such as ambient voice systems, and commitments in the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Further planned sessions focus on requirements for human oversight of automated decision-making and how these may affect the design of AI-assisted triage and eligibility assessments. Discussion will look at the development of the Health Data Research Service and its role in facilitating secure access and linkage, and ongoing collaboration with the Regulatory Innovation Office on drug discovery and device pathways. Delegates will consider how these developments influence international regulatory alignment, investment, and the UK’s wider health-data research infrastructure.
Scalability, data & research
Delegates will assess initiatives from MHRA, NICE and NHS England in supporting the safe scaling of diagnostic AI tools, developing new approval routes for market access, and implications for investment confidence and sector growth. Further discussion will examine data use and governance in light of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, and priorities for research collaboration, such as enabling more flexible consent regimes, supporting broader clinical trials, and ensuring that governance arrangements maintain public confidence.
Overview of areas for discussion
- regulation:
- new framework under the National Commission - MHRA approval routes - NICE appraisal scope for digital tools
- ensuring robustness of real-world data used for safety and effectiveness decisions - regulatory clarity on the application of ambient voice and similar AI technologies
- progress from the MHRA AI Airlock sandbox and NHS England’s AI Deployment Platform Pilot
- policy and funding:
- alignment with the 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan - Spending Review provision for workforce training - investment in digital infrastructure and procurement capacity
- data governance:
- lawful bases under the Data (Use and Access) Act - interoperability requirements - implications for consent, control and confidence
- health data research system:
- access through the Health Data Research UK framework - fostering collaboration across HEIs, research institutions, industry and the NHS
- next steps following the Sudlow Review’s recommendations on governance, streamlined data access and secure research infrastructure
- automated decision-making:
- thresholds for human oversight - design of triage and eligibility systems - responsibility for decisions when outcomes are disputed
- NHS deployment:
- improving procurement processes and tackling variation - interoperability and legacy IT systems - safeguards for patient confidence
- enablers for meeting commitments in the 10 Year Health Plan for an AI-enabled health system
- workforce:
- training and confidence - criteria and planning for redistribution of workload between clinicians and administrative staff
- priorities for commissioning and integrated care systems in prevention and personalised care
- Industrial Strategy:
- incentives for innovation - balance of public and private investment - international competitiveness of the UK sector
- innovation pathways:
- RIO engagement in AI oversight - coordination of device approvals with international standards
