This study investigates the accuracy of dermatologists and primary care physicians in diagnosing skin diseases across different skin tones, with and without the aid of a deep learning system (DLS). A large-scale digital experiment involving 389 dermatologists and 459 primary care physicians from 39 countries showed that specialists achieved 38% diagnostic accuracy and generalists 19%, with both groups showing lower accuracy for darker skin tones. While the DLS improved overall accuracy by over 33%, it exacerbated the accuracy gap for generalists across skin tones. The findings highlight the potential benefits of physician-machine partnerships but emphasize that improved overall accuracy doesn't necessarily address bias.

Matthew Groh, Omar Badri, Roxana Daneshjou, Arash Koochek, Caleb Harris, Luis R. Soenksen, P. Murali Doraiswamy, Rosalind Picard