UK’s NHS to use AI in colonoscopies to prevent bowel cancer

The UK is putting a fresh spotlight on bowel cancer prevention. The NHS is preparing to roll out artificial intelligence during colonoscopies, giving doctors a close-to-second-eye view. The idea is simple but powerful. A tiny polyp that might slip past a tired human could light up on screen with the help of smart software.

As Dr Anastasia Chalkidou from NICE put it, these tools are "like a helpful assistant during bowel examinations." In a country where more than forty thousand people face bowel cancer each year, that assistant could make all the difference.

How does it work?

AI does not replace the doctor. It just watches closely.
During a colonoscopy, these tools read the live video feed in real time. They have learned what polyps look like by analysing thousands of training images. When something looks suspicious, the software quietly nudges the clinician. Think of it as a gentle tap on the shoulder.

A few things stand out.

• The doctor stays fully in charge
• The process barely slows anything down
• The appointment usually takes just one or two minutes longer
• It works inside the standard colonoscopy workflow, so no extra fuss

Five approved systems will now be used in the NHS while more evidence is collected over the next four years. They include CAD EYE, ENDO AID, EndoScreener, GI Genius, and MAGENTIQ COLO.

Why does it matter?

Bowel cancer does not wait. It climbs to the top tier of UK cancers and often hides behind symptoms that show up far too late. Yet the numbers tell a hopeful story. When bowel cancer is caught early, nine in ten people survive. The trick is spotting and removing polyps before they become dangerous.

That is where AI steps in. By flagging more polyps, the software helps doctors catch trouble at its very beginning. Dr Chalkidou summed it up clearly. These tools "could potentially save lives by catching problems before they develop into cancer." It is an upgrade that blends human judgment with machine precision. It is also the kind of quiet innovation that changes outcomes without altering the patient experience.

The context

This move lands at a time when the UK is racing to modernise cancer care. The decision fits neatly with the government's long-term health plans. Those plans focus on quicker diagnoses and smarter use of technology. They also call for more care closer to home and fewer late-stage surprises.

There is momentum behind this shift. The government recently invested over two million pounds in an AI-powered blood test that can detect cancer with more than ninety-nine percent accuracy. Faster tests. Less invasive checks. More timely decisions. The NHS push for AI-supported colonoscopies belongs in the same family of ideas.

In short, the country is leaning into innovation to stay ahead of cancer. And for patients sitting in a clinic waiting room, that quiet revolution might someday mean a life saved rather than a life changed forever.