Responsible AI NHS Champions and the NHS AI Ambassador Network come together to support the UK’s vision for AI-enabled, future-ready healthcare.
London, 27 March 2026: Responsible AI UK (RAI UK), through its Health and Social Care Working Group and Responsible AI NHS Champions initiative, is bringing its growing community into closer collaboration with the NHS AI Ambassador Network, connecting expertise, experience, and shared purpose across the system. The coming together of these two communities brings greater scale and momentum to the UK Government’s ambition to harness AI for better healthcare outcomes. By connecting expertise with real-world practice, it will help accelerate safe adoption, strengthen trust, and support more efficient, patient-centred care across the NHS.
Today, the RAI NHS Champions network includes over 120 clinicians and experts embedded across NHS Trusts and GP practices, people working at the forefront of AI, navigating its opportunities and challenges every day. The initiative, led by Prof Prokar Dasgupta Chair of RAI UK Health and Social Care Working Group, was created to ensure there is trusted, local expertise to support the responsible use of AI in healthcare domain. Wherein, the NHS AI Ambassador Network, led by Dom Cushnan, Deputy Director of AI, NHS England and DHSC and supported by NHS Horizons, has rapidly grown into a vibrant national community of more than 14,000 members. It reflects the scale of interest, novelty, and urgency around AI in health and social care today.
Dr Alison Tweed, Head of AI Partnership, NHS AI Team, DHSC & NHS England said, ‘we are delighted to be working in collaboration with the RAi Champions to bring our two networks together and enrich the conversations on AI in health and care. We are planning the AI Ambassador Network events for the next 6 months and thanks to the enthusiasm of the Champions have confirmed a fantastic range of speakers and topics. In addition, we will be sharing a database of Champions with the network so that Ambassadors can connect locally with experts and specialists. Only good can come from our closer working.”
Across the NHS, AI is advancing at pace. New tools are emerging, and clinicians and practitioners are being asked to engage with technologies that are constantly evolving. This collaboration is about creating a space where people can learn from each other, share experiences, and build confidence in how AI is used—safely, ethically, and effectively.
Nitin Shrotri, Consultant Urologist (retd) East Kent, NHS and RAI NHS Champion said, “Bringing together the RAI NHS AI Champions and NHS AI Ambassadors networks is a key step towards a connected and sustainable AI ecosystem in health and social care. It enables true ‘inter-silo working’, will align expertise, share insight, and strengthen our collective impact. Focusing on project mapping and project culling, will reduce duplication, conserve valuable time and resources, and ensure that effort is directed where it delivers greatest value. Together, we will shape a sustainable approach to responsible AI across the NHS.”
The first joint session on 1 April will mark the beginning of this next phase. It will bring together Champions and Ambassadors to exchange insights, explore real-world applications, and strengthen connections that extend beyond a single meeting. Discussions will range from the use of AI in dermatology and patient care to large-scale clinical trials in pathology, grounded in practical experience and focused on real impact.
At its heart, this is about people. About supporting those already working with AI, and those just beginning their journey. About strengthening a community that is open, collaborative, and committed to doing things the right way.
As AI continues to transform healthcare, initiatives like the RAI UK Health and Social Care Working Group and the AI Champions network will be essential in guiding its adoption, ensuring progress is accelerated, inclusive, and trusted.
Learn more about the RAI NHS AI Champions initiative: https://rai.ac.uk/ai-champions/
About the first joint session: 1 April 2026, 10:30–12:00 (online)
AI Ambassador Network & Responsible AI (RAi) NHS Champions co-hosted meeting: Building an AI pathology trial to solve pathway bottlenecks, Responsible AI in dermatology & more. Join the AI Ambassador Network to register for the meeting.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About RAi UK
With a £35 million UKRI investment, RAi UK is a program dedicated to delivering interdisciplinary research and fostering an international ecosystem for Responsible AI research and innovation. Through extensive consultations across the UK, RAi UK has identified emerging challenges in responsible AI and has deployed over £15 million into projects aimed at accelerating the adoption of responsible AI practices and technologies. RAi UK brings research-based expertise that is connective, adaptive, and world-leading through field-building, and engagement with communities, publics, industries, and governments. For more information on the AI Champions initiative or to get involved, please contact RAi UK.
Media Contact:
Kavita Mittal
Communications Lead – RAi UK
K.Mittal@soton.ac.uk