A British father has become the first patient to undergo brain surgery guided by live artificial intelligence, with surgeons using the technology to navigate hidden nerves and blood vessels while removing his tumour, reports the BBC.

Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without the operation, surgeons at University College London Hospital said.

The AI analysed a live video feed of the procedure, tracking surgical instruments and highlighting areas where critical structures were most likely to be found.

"From a patient safety perspective, I can see absolutely the benefit. There are no road signs inside our head," Hibbert told the BBC.

The 48-year-old customer services manager had been fit and healthy until he collapsed and began fitting during a lunchtime walk 18 months ago.

A scan found an 11mm non-cancerous tumour on his pituitary gland, a small organ at the base of the skull that produces hormones regulating functions including growth, metabolism and blood pressure.

The tumour was close to the carotid arteries and optic nerves. As it grew, Hibbert began losing peripheral vision and suffered dizziness, fatigue and frequent trips.

"For 18 years of married life I've always got out of bed and made my wife a cup of coffee," he said, "and I wasn't going to let this tumour stop that."

He accepted the chance to join the pioneering operation without hesitation.

"If patients are not prepared to join research how can doctors ever learn and how can medicine ever progress?" he said.

Surgeons inserted a thin camera through his nose to reach the skull base. The tumour was hidden behind bone and tough membrane, making it difficult to identify the safest route for removal.

The AI, developed by UCL researchers with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Google, had been trained using hundreds of surgical videos.

"It is trained on more operations than most surgeons see or do in a lifetime and can act like an expert second pair of eyes," Prof Hani Marcus told the BBC.

The team stressed that surgeons retained full control. Their ambition is to develop a "Surgical ChatGPT" that could provide advice during operations.

Eight weeks after surgery, Hibbert said his vision and energy had returned.

"It's given me my life back."