Barriers to the growth of artificial intelligence within the NHS

Artificial intelligence (AI), regarded as the ability of systems to replicate human behaviour in an intelligent manner, shows great promise within the NHS. Increased automation of repetitive clinical and administrative tasks has the potential to save the NHS up to £12.5 billion a year worth of staff time (1) which could be invaluable to the NHS in addressing increasing pressures to meet financial and performance targets. Although artificial intelligence has been around for many years, advancements in AI methods in recent decades has resulted in increasingly sophisticated programs with the ability to revolutionise industries such as healthcare.