How AI could transform liver care – and what needs to happen first
21 July 2025
In the decades to come, Artificial Intelligence (AI) could have a huge role to play in fighting the world's liver health crisis. This week, researchers from King's College London, working closely with experts across Europe, released new recommendations on exactly what that role should be.
The paper, published by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), brings together the views of 34 leading experts – including Professor Debbie Shawcross from the Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, the home of our research.
What is AI doing in liver medicine?
There's been a lot of talk about AI in many fields, and it's already changing healthcare – especially when it comes to analysing scans, test results and large datasets. In liver disease, AI could help to:
- Spot the early warning signs of disease before symptoms appear
- Personalise treatments for individual patients
- Predict who may be most at risk of complications
- Speed up the development of new treatments
But despite its promise, AI is still rarely used in real-life liver clinics. This is partly because the systems are so complex, meaning doctors and researchers need more support to use them.
What are the new recommendations?
The new paper lays out a practical roadmap for making AI a safe, effective and routine part of liver care. The key steps include:
- Training healthcare staff in how AI works, so they can use it confidently
- Proving AI tools work well in clinical trials – not just in the lab
- Improving IT systems across hospitals, so AI tools can be used more widely
- Creating guidelines to make sure AI tools are used safely and consistently
“AI is moving fast – but we need clear frameworks to make sure it benefits real patients. These recommendations give us a blueprint for getting there.”
– Professor Debbie Shawcross
Where does The Foundation for Liver Research come in?
Together with our supporters, we fund pioneering science in partnership with King’s College London – home to some of the UK’s leading liver experts and our Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies. Many of our scientists are already working with complex, data-rich fields like immunology, the microbiome and liver regeneration – where AI could make a real difference.
As we move into a new era of personalised, precision liver medicine, AI will be a key part of the puzzle – and our research environment is helping to lay the foundations.
Read the full report on AI in liver medicine here
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