To Regulate or Not To Regulate | Prof. Alastair Denniston

How do we strike the right balance between innovation and regulation? Do we need regulation at all? Professor Alastair Denniston considers these questions, and more, in our latest podcast episode.

Professor Denniston is Professor of Regulatory Science and Innovation at the University of Birmingham and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. A recognised leader in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital health technologies, he is shaping how these innovations are evaluated, regulated, and implemented in real-world healthcare.

He holds a number of prominent national and international roles, including NIHR Senior Investigator, Member of the UK Government’s Regulatory Horizons Council, Non-Executive Director at the Health Research Authority, AI Strategic Advisor to Health Data Research UK, Director of the NIHR-funded Incubator for AI and Digital Healthcare, and Director of the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Science in AI and Digital HealthTech (CERSI-AI). His advisory work also extends globally, supporting international regulators, ministries of health, and the World Health Organization.

At the University of Birmingham, Professor Denniston leads the AI & Digital Health Group, a multidisciplinary team focused on ensuring AI technologies in healthcare are safe, effective, equitable, and truly beneficial for patients and society. Their work has already had major impact: from developing internationally adopted reporting standards for AI health studies, to shaping evidence frameworks for organisations such as NICE and the UK National Screening Committee; from advancing safety tools for AI-enabled medical devices, to addressing bias and health data poverty through initiatives like STANDING Together.

Through these combined efforts, Professor Denniston has become a central figure in guiding how AI is responsibly integrated into healthcare systems worldwide, ensuring innovation is matched with trust, safety, and fairness.

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