Artificial Intelligence: Applications in Dermatology

Advances in the field of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence (AI) have opened the door to new applications, including playing games, generating art, controlling phones by voice and many more. Of particular interest here, the sub-field of deep learning has made possible the processing and analysis of images and videos such that algorithms can recognize objects in an image much like a human can. Some classic contemporary examples of how we interact with image focused deep learning algorithms include security facial recognition and self-driving vehicles. This new class of algorithms, of which convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are most common, has generated excitement around the potential applications in medicine, with dermatology and dermatopathology being prime examples as more visually focused medical specialties. Other similar visually focused specialties include radiology, pathologyPathology, cardiology, and ophthalmology, among others. Furthermore, with parallel advances in pathology such as digital pathology leading to the digitization of whole slides, the fields of dermatologyDermatology and dermatopathology are well-positioned for AI innovation.