Abstract:
It is clear that significant breakthroughs have been achieved in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in dermatology. This year, 2023, has already witnessed notable milestones, including the introduction of AI and Image Analysis as a distinct abstract category for posters and oral presentations at a major international investigative dermatology conference. In addition, the inaugural AI in Dermatology session was held as a Satellite Symposium at the International Societies for Investigative Dermatology (ISID). These landmark developments mark substantial advancement in the integration of AI technology within the dermatology community.
The importance of AI in dermatology has been recognized globally, with substantial efforts through the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) as well as the task forces, working groups, and committees on AI through prominent professional societies such as the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV). The foundational work of these organizations served as the basis of the creation of the AI in Dermatology symposium as a satellite meeting of ISID with the goal of providing an international forum for all researchers with broad interests across dermatology to exchange ideas, discuss current challenges, expand potential application (app) horizons, and formulate concrete plans for future directions using AI tools. Most importantly, this symposium provided the opportunity for in-person connections to be made with formal and informal discussion time. The workshop was held on May 10, 2023, at ISID in Tokyo; led by Reiko J. Tanaka (Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom), Nick J. Reynolds (Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom), and John Common (A∗STAR, Singapore, Singapore); and sponsored by Imperial College London, AbbVie GK, and David M.C. Ju Foundation.
Invited speakers for the symposium were selected on the basis of expertise in AI across a variety of specialist domains relevant to dermatology: Nikhil Sharma provided expertise for in-silico modeling (BioCorteX, London, United Kingdom), opportunities in precision dermatology was presented by Shannon Wongvibulsin (University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA), Claire Clibborn provided current industry practices in patient studies (Pfizer, Tadworth, United Kingdon), Tobias Sangers showcased the use of smartphone apps for AI research (Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands), and Jack Li introduced the concepts of multimodal language models in dermatology (Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan). This report provides a brief summary of the event detailing the topics under discussion, our shared vision for further expanding this community, and an invitation to join us to move AI in dermatology FORWARD (FORum and Working group for Artificial intelligence Research in Dermatology).