Dermatologist or AI? Patient Preferences in Skin Assessment

INTRODUCTION: Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an expanding role in dermatology, particularly in diagnosing skin cancer and other cutaneous diseases. However, little is known about public perceptions towards AI for skincare evaluation and management. The purpose of this study was to assess public trust, comfort, and security concerns about AI-based facial evaluation. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 147 participants through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and REDCap. Participants rated comfort, trust, and security concerns regarding AI and dermatologist evaluation of facial images using a 5-point Likert scale. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests were used to compare preference for AI vs. dermatologists. RESULTS: Participants expressed greater confidence in dermatologists than AI for independent evaluation of facial features (mean 4.37 vs. 3.82, P < 0.001) and trust in creating a skincare management plan (mean 4.46 vs. 3.87, P < 0.001). Privacy and security concerns were prevalent, with 69% agreeing they were worried about security risks of AI facial imaging. CONCLUSION: Participants had confidence in AI technology for skincare evaluation and management, although they tended to prefer dermatologists over AI. Security was a concern for AI facial imaging.