Dermatologists and Augmented Intelligence (AuI) are on the Same Team

We commonly visualize the classical Artificial Intelligence (AI) Dichotomy: “man versus machine”

• This is fostered by a lot of popular culture, like the AI on Jeopardy or Deep Blue playing chess and defeating chess champions. Sometimes like pop culture makes recall things like the Terminator.
• However beyond concepts, little reminds us of good images of how it really works in clinical care.

Dermatologists and Augmented Intelligence (AuI) are on the same team

• Let’s take an example how radiologists used an AI program, during COVID-19. It was able to identify x-rays as being high risk for COVID, based on certain features.
  • What are the advantages ? AI does not make decisions for the providers but enhances their ability to identify things quickly.
  • By triaging, the higher risk radiographs and images are viewed first, it’s going to enable radiologist to read more films.
• Thus, this can enhance delivery of care and make things much more efficient.

• However, contrarily to radiologists dermatologists, don’t want to to be looking at a screen all the time:
  • they wanted to be with people.
  • they want to do procedures.
• Dermatologists are afraid about how technology is going to change the way that they want to practice.

The Teledermatology vs “in-person” visit dichotomy

• There another false dichotomy engrained in many patients: “telederm” versus “in-person”…as we’ve seen in the pandemic. It really is Telederm versus no care at all.

• Telederm is a tool to expand outreach to a lot more people.
  • Telederm is especially powerful for triage.
• The trick, for the future will be to find the right balance.

Jules Lipoff, MD. Education for Teledermatology and AI in Dermatology. 8th World Congress of Teledermatology, Skin Imaging and AI in Skin diseases – November 2020