The Evolving Role of Artificial Intelligence in Dermatology: A Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Performance, Clinical Applications, and Implementation Challenges (2003–2025)
Abstract
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology across dermatological practice, from automated lesion classification to whole-slide pathology analysis. Despite rapid growth in primary studies, a comprehensive synthesis of diagnostic performance, application breadth, and real-world implementation remains lacking. Methods: We conducted a PRISMA systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published from January 2000 to March 2025. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and ScienceDirect databases for studies reporting AI diagnostic performance in dermatology. Results: Of 30 included studies (28 valid after exclusion of two retracted publications), 60% focused on melanoma and related lesions. AI diagnostic performance improved markedly over five identified temporal eras (2003–2025), with a pooled AUROC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.87–0.96), Reitsma sensitivity of 0.88 (0.82–0.93), and Reitsma specificity of 0.85 (0.75–0.91). AI matched or surpassed specialist dermatologists in 71% of direct comparisons. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified, with heterogeneous findings across different clinical applications: AI assistance significantly improved non-expert diagnostic accuracy in one trial (53.9% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.019), significantly reduced acne severity via personalized treatment recommendations in a second, and showed non-inferior diagnostic performance, but was not cost-effective in the third. The sole cost-effectiveness analysis found AI-assisted surveillance not cost-effective over a 2-year horizon. Conclusions: AI achieves dermatologist-level diagnostic accuracy in controlled settings; however, real-world evidence, algorithmic equity across skin phototypes, and health economic viability remain critical unresolved challenges. Prospective validation, mandatory demographic subgroup reporting, and cost-effectiveness modeling are essential prerequisites for safe and equitable clinical implementation.