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RCVS AI Guidance for Vets: What It Says and What to Ask a Supplier

Last reviewed: 2 October 2026 · Written by Isaac Stevenson BVMSci MRCVS

AI tools are turning up in practices faster than anyone can check them: note-takers, x-ray readers, things that write to clients. The RCVS published advice on using them in spring 2026. It is short and worth knowing, and its main message is simple. You can use AI, but you can't hand it your judgement.

This is a plain-English summary of the RCVS's advice, in my words, not theirs. Their own page is linked at the foot.

What the RCVS says

It is advice, not a new rule. It applies the Code you already work to. There are no separate AI rules.
You stay responsible. In their words, “there should always be a human in the loop taking responsibility for decisions.”
Read what it gives you like a research paper. Is the source reliable, and does the answer make sense?
Check AI-written clinical notes yourself, and correct them at the time.
Only hand AI tasks to people trained to judge the result.
Client confidentiality is unchanged. Make sure the developer isn't using your practice's data to train its tool without your clients agreeing.
Be open with clients. The RCVS calls this “the simplest and safest way” to stay out of trouble.

The four questions the RCVS says to ask

What does the software do, and what are its limits? How will those limits affect care, and how will your team be told?
How is the data stored, and does that fit your practice's privacy policy?
How was the AI trained? Is it still learning from live client data, and if so, have clients agreed?
Is it a closed system, or can the developer see and change the data?

If a supplier can't answer, the RCVS says to think about whether using the tool fits your professional responsibilities at all.

Four more I would ask

Which country does the data go to?
Can anything reach a client without a vet approving it?
When it can't read something, does it say so, or does it guess?
What happens to our data if we stop using it?

What is coming next

The RCVS and a company called Digital Practice have drafted a fuller framework: 23 points on what an AI supplier should tell a practice. It was put out for comment in June 2026, and the consultation closed that July.

When the final version is published, it will be the list suppliers are measured against. It is worth watching the RCVS website for.

How Vet Amica answers them

We make an AI tool, so it is fair to answer our own questions.

What it does: it drafts a plain-English summary of a lab report for the owner. It covers dogs and cats only, and a photographed report can be misread, so the vet is asked to check the figures.
Where the data goes: the report and the vet's notes go to our AI service and our web host, both in the United States. X-ray and ultrasound pictures never leave the vet's computer.
Training: the AI service does not use the content to train its AI, and deletes it within 30 days unless the law requires longer.
Who approves: nothing reaches an owner until a named vet has read and approved it. That step cannot be switched off.

The full detail is on our Safety and privacy page.

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Where to check this yourself

The RCVS's advice, Using artificial intelligence (AI) in practice, and its news item on the draft framework for AI suppliers.

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