The healthcare AI platform has acquired the AI pioneer and launched Heidi Evidence to provide a clinical-grade research tool integrated directly into the Heidi platform.
Healthcare AI platform Heidi has acquired UK-based clinical AI pioneer AutoMedica. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
What the company is describing as a strategic acquisition, thanks to its strong relationship with UK national regulators, Heidi hopes will accelerate its technical and regulatory capabilities and access to Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) AI Airlock.
MHRA launched a regulatory sandbox for medical device AI projects in May last year. Eligible candidates were required to demonstrate that their AI-powered medical device has the potential to deliver benefits to patients and, therefore, the NHS. The collaborative project is led by the MHRA, in partnership with the NHS AI Lab and Team AB, the consortium of UK Approved Bodies. Also involved are subject matter experts across the healthcare sector, government and academia, the Information Commissioner’s Office and other regulators.
“From the outset, we have believed that clinical AI must be built within real healthcare structures, not bolted on around the edges,” said Ben Turner, co-founder of AutoMedica. “Working through the NHS AI Airlock has shown that when regulators, clinicians and technologists come together, it is possible to build AI that is both ambitious and safe by design. Joining Heidi means we can take what we have learned and apply it at a far greater scale, within a platform that shares our focus on evidence, safety and the realities of day-to-day clinical practice.”
Authoritative sourcing
At the same time, Heidi has launched Heidi Evidence alongside Heidi Comms, an AI partner for healthcare teams to coordinate patient communications across calls, bookings, reminders and follow-ups.
Medical knowledge now doubles every 73 days, making it impossible for clinicians to stay updated with new methods and research. While many have turned to general-purpose AI, these tools lack transparency and local clinical context. This search engine approach often erodes the perceived authority of the encounter, leading to a profound lack of patient comfort when they feel their symptoms are being researched via the same tools they use at home.
Built on Claude, Anthropic’s AI models, Heidi Evidence solves this by providing a clinical-grade research tool integrated directly into the Heidi platform. Key features include authoritative sourcing and traceable intelligence, being ad-free, and available as a standalone tool or alongside Heidi’s AI Scribe, which has already supported over 100 million clinical interactions globally. The firm uses enterprise revenue to subsidise access for practitioners in resource-constrained or fragmented markets.
“We believe that for AI to be a true care partner, the integrity of its evidence must be non-negotiable,” said Heidi’s co-founder and chief executive Thomas Kelly.
