Palantir lobbied a health minister to extend its AI tools into NHS GP records

Summary

Palantir, the US company co-founded by Peter Thiel, lobbied a health minister to consider extending its AI technology into GP records, which would stretch its reach into the NHS in a way doctors fear could undermine patients' trust, according to The Guardian. The Guardian reports that WhatsApp messages show the firm pressuring Zubir Ahmed MP to help bring sensitive data into its platform. In the messages, Palantir argued that “the logic of joining up primary and secondary [care] data is unarguable” and said its software was “ideal” for the job. The push came in February this year, even though GP data was expressly ruled out of scope of Palantir’s existing £330m contract with NHS England to run its federated data platform (FDP). Palantir says the platform has helped cut surgery waiting times and discharge delays.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   9 Nov 2026, 17:58 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Palantir lobbied a health minister, via a direct WhatsApp channel, to consider extending its AI tools into GP records, despite GP data being expressly ruled out of scope of its £330m NHS England federated data platform contract.