Responsible AI in medical aesthetics: a critical review of facial and skin analysis applications and ethical considerations
摘要
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping medical aesthetics, especially in facial and skin analysis. It promises more precision, personalization, and efficiency in patient care. At the same time, the speed of innovation often runs ahead of ethical and regulatory frameworks, creating a noticeable gap. This article reviews how AI is being used in aesthetic practice, with attention to commercial devices and newer recommendation platforms. A central concern is transparency. Many systems are trained on datasets where diversity is unclear, which raises the risk of bias and unequal outcomes across patient groups. In addition, the way platforms generate recommendations—whether purely algorithmic, human-guided, or mixed—remains difficult to see. In practice, both patients and clinicians are often left without a clear explanation for why advice is given. Key issues also include privacy risks, the “black-box” nature of many models, and fragmented regulation. Another concern is the temptation to over-rely on AI. For these reasons, investors and providers should look not only at financial factors but also at the ethical and technical foundations of each system. For responsible AI to happen, everyone will have to work together. Only then will AI be safer and fairer for patient care.