Director of research at Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), John Wright, has voiced his concerns over US company Palantir's contract to run the Federated Data Platform.

Speaking exclusively to HM, Wright said NHS sovereignty of patient data was crucial.

‘We have a lot of public concern around the role of Palantir in particular and the funding of a company involved in warfare being supported by healthcare. We are really conscious of keeping people's trust in how we use the data. So I think we have to be cautious about how it's used and who uses it. And I do think sovereignty in the UK is a really key part of this.'

The Government is under pressure to exercise a break clause in Palantir's contract when it comes up for renewal in 2027 following controversy over its access to identifiable patient data and contract with the Israel Ministry of Defence.

Wright said: ‘AI could transform public services, but we shouldn't have to give away our data to make that happen. The opportunity is to bring AI to trusted local data, keeping it safe, locally controlled and focused on the things that matter to our communities.'

You can hear more from John in our special report, AI and Preventative Healthcare, which will be published in September.