The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended five artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for NHS colonoscopies to help clinicians spot polyps that could develop into bowel cancer.
The technologies – CAD EYE, ENDO-AID, EndoScreener, GI Genius and MAGENTIQ-COLO – analyse live camera feeds during bowel examinations and alert doctors to potential polyps that might otherwise be missed.
The systems have been trained on thousands of colonoscopy images to recognise abnormalities.
NICE’s diagnostics advisory committee said the tools showed ‘real promise’ in helping clinicians find more polyps during procedures, and said they can be used in the NHS while further evidence is collected over the next four years to understand their long-term impact on cancer prevention.
The AI software works as a decision-support tool, flagging areas of concern while clinicians retain full control over diagnosis and treatment decisions. The technology typically adds one to two minutes to a standard colonoscopy appointment.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech programme director at NICE, said: ‘We’re allowing these technologies to be used now because they show real promise, whilst we gather the detailed evidence we need to understand their long-term impact on preventing cancer.’
Professor Neil Hawkins, vice chair of the NICE diagnostics advisory committee, said the recommendation reflected clear evidence that the tools help doctors find more polyps, but reiterated that further data was needed to understand how this translates into cancer prevention and lives saved.
‘It’s vital to remember that AI supports doctors’ expertise – it doesn’t replace their skill and judgement in caring for patients,’ he said.
Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer, affecting over 42,000 people each year.
Nine out of 10 people survive when the disease is detected at the earliest stage. Finding and removing polyps before they become cancerous is considered one of the most effective strategies for prevention.
Health innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said the guidance supported the government’s ambition to make the NHS ‘the most AI-enabled healthcare system in the world’ under its 10 year health plan.
‘It is so exciting to be able to harness this technology to ensure patients have their cancers spotted early – in some cases before they’ve had a chance to develop – and arm our NHS with rigorously tested and evidenced clinical AI tools,’ he added.
Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, described the technologies as ‘a really exciting step forward for patients’, giving clinicians an additional tool to spot harmful growths sooner.
‘We’re committed to bringing innovative technology into frontline care quickly and safely as part of the NHS’s move from analogue to digital, and this is a perfect example of that,’ he said.
A consultation on the draft recommendations is open until 11 December 2025.
