AI is seemingly going to be ubiquitous. How do we as ENT clinicians help to shape its direction?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping modern medicine. Algorithmic analysis is now influencing decisions once made solely by clinicians. Yet, in surgical specialties such as ENT, the translation from theory to safe, everyday practice remains far from straightforward.
ENTelligence Healthcare CIC was founded to meet this challenge head-on – a clinician-led collaborative committed to advancing safe, ethical and transparent AI adoption in otorhinolaryngology. It is a UK-based Community Interest Company (CIC) and professional network that aims to unite ENT clinicians, allied health professionals and data scientists. Its founding team consists of UK ENT consultants and trainees, all of whom have a strong research background and keen interest in digital innovation and AI in healthcare.
AI in healthcare: opportunity and uncertainty
Across the UK and Europe, AI is moving from pilot projects to clinical deployment. The NHS AI Lab, NICE’s recent AI guidance frameworks and European Health Data Space initiatives all underline a system-wide commitment to digital transformation. However, implementation within surgical specialties has been cautious. Questions remain over data governance, algorithmic bias, medico-legal responsibility and cost-effectiveness. Most importantly, there is growing concern that AI innovation is outpacing clinical oversight – with tools being developed for surgeons, but not by them. In ENT, where data are multimodal (imaging, endoscopic video and audiometric analysis), this disconnect is even more pronounced. The risk is clear: poorly validated AI may not only fail to improve care but could actively compromise patient safety.
"ENTelligence is, to our knowledge, the first organisation of its kind globally to integrate ethical governance, education and real-world implementation into a single national framework"
While isolated academic initiatives exist internationally – such as AI research hubs in the US, Europe and Asia – few healthcare systems have established a clinician-led structure dedicated specifically to safe AI adoption within a surgical specialty. ENTelligence is, to our knowledge, the first organisation of its kind globally to integrate ethical governance, education and real-world implementation into a single national framework.
Why we are the team to drive this forward
ENTelligence’s founders bring an exceptional record of academic and educational leadership. Collectively, the team has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications across a range of journals such as Clinical Otolaryngology, Otology & Neurotology and BMJ Health Care Informatics. Their research covers AI-based prognostic modelling, international data-driven studies and machine learning in cochlear implantation. Members have held invited faculty roles at BACO International, IFOS Dubai, EAONO and ENT Masterclass®, leading sessions on AI in ENT and precision medicine. Additionally, ENTelligence has been invited to deliver instructional sessions at CEORL-HNS and BACO 2026.
ENTelligence’s first surgical Hackathon, held in September 2025.
We hope this combination of clinical credibility, data science expertise and educational influence uniquely positions ENTelligence to guide responsible AI adoption across the specialty.
Why ENTelligence is needed now
Despite enthusiasm for AI, three major challenges continue to face its integration into surgical specialties:
- Data quality and access – Fragmented datasets, inconsistent annotation and limited interoperability restrict meaningful AI training.
- Clinical validation and education – Many tools show promise in silico but lack robust, peer-reviewed validation in real-world surgical settings. To achieve this, we must ensure the ENT workforce is ‘AI literate’.
- Ethical and legal uncertainty – Questions over data ownership, patient consent and accountability persist.
Without clinician leadership, these barriers risk undermining public confidence and delaying innovation. ENTelligence aims to close this gap by creating a trusted framework where clinicians, researchers and industry can collaborate safely. We promote AI literacy, transparent governance and real-world validation, ensuring technology enhances – rather than replaces – clinical judgement.
Current and future initiatives
Education is central to our mission. We recognised early that ‘Hackathons’ can deliver a huge educational impact for healthcare professionals keen to learn more about digital innovation. Hackathons bring together clinicians, data scientists/tech enthusiasts and developers to co-create AI and digital healthcare solutions for real ENT challenges. ENTelligence’s first surgical Hackathon, held in September 2025, rapidly sold out, demonstrating the strong desire for UK trainees and consultants to learn more about digital innovation. ‘Vibe coding’ was harnessed during the event to generate tangible prototype applications, setting a precedent for how surgical innovation can be accelerated through multidisciplinary collaboration.
"ENTelligence has been invited to deliver instructional sessions at CEORL-HNS and BACO 2026"
The team is also collaborating with Nexus Bridge Healthcare to provide clinical oversight for their first product, Breathe Buddy. The app promises to allow AI-enabled triage in paediatric sleep-disordered breathing and automatically risk-stratify data to support clinicians through an interactive referral dashboard. This will enable improved referral quality, faster triage and reduction in unnecessary appointments across paediatric ENT pathways. Breathe Buddy has received Letters of Intent for pilots across multiple UK tertiary ENT departments and GP practices, marking a major step towards scalable, NHS-compliant digital transformation in paediatric sleep-disordered breathing care.
Paula Coyle introducing the ENTelligence team at the official launch at the RSM in February 2025.
In 2026, ENTelligence hopes to develop AI training modules for surgical curricula in partnership with ENT UK, the Royal College of Surgeons and NHS England.
Furthermore, our inaugural ENTelligence Conference will continue to promote open dialogue between academia, industry and the NHS. We also aim to establish an AI ethics committee for ENT which ensures any potential developing AI projects meet high standards for data protection and fairness. We wish to embed this ethical scrutiny at the start of any collaborative project and align with UK GDPR, NHS AI Lab and NICE AI frameworks.
These initiatives reflect our commitment to ensuring AI serves patients safely and equitably – not as a replacement for clinical expertise, but as a partner to it.
A collaborative future
AI’s potential in ENT is vast – from automating image analysis to predicting surgical outcomes, but without clear ethical boundaries and clinician-led validation, progress risks becoming fragmented and commercialised. ENTelligence exists to ensure that doesn’t happen. We envision a future where digital technology amplifies, rather than replaces, clinical insight – and where the ENT community itself leads that change. By fostering transparency, collaboration and education, ENTelligence is helping to shape a safe and equitable digital future for otorhinolaryngology.
Contact us and get involved:
AIENTelligence@gmail.com
@ENT_elligence
LinkedIn: ENTelligence Healthcare CIC
Declaration of competing interests: None declared.
