About the dialogue

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have commissioned a public dialogue that will investigate public views on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and care guidance. The dialogue will be delivered by Ipsos and URSUS Consulting will provide independent evaluation.

AI is a major national policy priority and has been identified as a transformative technology for the NHS in the 10 Year Health Plan for England. NICE are committed to supporting the government to ensure faster access to innovation, and a fundamental goal underpinning this is to assess and use AI responsibly in evaluation, guideline development and how NICE works internally.

Why public dialogue?

NICE are committed to the responsible use of AI. The questions raised by AI use in the development of health and care guidance are not purely technical or scientific. They also involve value-based judgements about trust, fairness, transparency, accountability and the appropriate role of human oversight. While experts can provide evidence on the technical and scientific, the public can provide insight into the acceptable conditions under which AI can be used and the safeguards necessary to maintain confidence in health and care decision making.

What the dialogue will involve

Up to 54 members of the English public will take part in online and in-person workshops across 3 locations in England, between October and November 2026. Participants will be broadly representative of the English population and people from deprived areas and people who are digitally excluded will be included in the dialogue.

This NICE Listens public dialogue will benefit from an External Oversight Group who will provide independent advice, challenge and external perspectives throughout the dialogue to help ensure the process is balanced, credible, relevant and robust. The project will also benefit from an Internal Working Group, made up of NICE staff who will provide organisation insight to ensure that the dialogue is as relevant as possible.

What happens with the findings

The findings will help to inform NICE’s future policies, methods and approaches to AI, by helping NICE to identify the principles and safeguards that the public believe should underpin its responsible use. Decisions will remain the responsibility of NICE and its committees, but understanding public perspectives is essential to ensuring that AI-related policies are legitimate, trustworthy and aligned with societal values.