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Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept in healthcare, it is already shaping how the NHS diagnoses disease, supports clinicians, and empowers patients. If used responsibly, AI and other health technologies could be pivotal in tackling some of the NHS’s greatest challenges: growing demand, rising costs, and persistent health inequalities.

There are good reasons why Yorkshire is primed to lead the way in the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The UK recently became the first country in the world to join a new global network of health regulators focused on the safe, effective use of AI in healthcare. Leeds has been chosen as the home of a new digital hub for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), strengthening Yorkshire’s role as a leader in health technology. From this base, regulators will be working with international partners to set standards, monitor the safety of AI tools in practice, and share early warnings. This is a vital step in building public confidence.

The region’s reputation as a driving force in health technologies is being reinforced further: Leeds was recently chosen as one of only three places in the country to host thematic policy campuses, with the city leading the Government’s ‘Health Mission’. This initiative places local communities and frontline workers at the heart of policy development, ensuring that their insights and expertise shape future decision-making.

Here in Yorkshire, the potential of AI is not just a talking point – it is being tested in real-world settings. At the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre in Hull, new voice technology is being piloted to ease the administrative burden on staff and free up more time for patient care. In West Yorkshire, an AI-based test developed by PinPoint Data Science helps identify cancers sooner, giving patients a better chance of effective treatment.

Yet while the promise is great, we must be honest about the challenges. AI is not a silver bullet, it depends on high-quality data, robust regulation, and above all the trust of patients and staff. Adoption will only succeed if clinicians feel confident in using these new tools and if patients understand how they can benefit from them.

The NHS is focusing on three major shifts that will help improve patient outcomes, ease pressure on frontline staff and expand access to services moving from analogue to digital, from hospital to community, and from sickness to prevention. AI has a role to play in all three, whether it’s speeding up diagnosis, enabling care closer to home, or helping people manage their own health. But technology must be introduced with care and collaboration, ensuring that innovation enhances, rather than replaces, the human relationships that lie at the heart of healthcare. Digital inclusion is another critical factor: for some people, the shift from analogue to digital risks leaving them behind. Initiatives such as helping the public make better use of the NHS App are small but important steps in making sure technology works for everyone, not just the digitally confident.

Yorkshire is well placed to lead this revolution with its concentration of world-class universities, health innovators, and NHS partners. If we get it right, the region can show the rest of the country how AI and health technologies can be deployed responsibly, for the benefit of patients and staff alike.

This opinion piece was initially published by Yorkshire Post on 26 September.