Ethics of artificial intelligence use in dermatology research and healthcare

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming dermatology at a rapid pace unlike any other clinical specialty, largely because skin disease is diagnosed visually and, therefore, lends itself naturally to image-based machine learning. Convolutional neural networks now correspond with dermatologists in classifying pigmented lesions, teledermatology platforms triage patients across vast distances, and AI-enabled applications are increasingly available on patients’ screens. Yet this rapid uptake has outpaced the ethical and regulatory scaffolding needed to govern it safely. The Indian Council of Medical Research has addressed this gap conscientiously in March 2023 by publishing the Ethical Guidelines for Application of AI in Biomedical Research and Healthcare, India’s first dedicated ethics framework for medical AI. This article examines the ethical dimensions of AI in dermatology research and clinical practice through the lens of these guidelines, drawing on dermatology-specific evidence on algorithmic bias, consent, data privacy, transparency, and accountability, with recommendations for dermatologists, researchers, and ethics committees engaging with this technology.