Mole or cancer? The algorithm that gets one in three melanomas wrong and erases patients with dark skin

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Pro@programming.dev⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://civio.es/sanidad/2025/07/03/mole-or-cancer-the-algorithm-that-gets-one-in-three-melanomas-wrong-and-erases-patients-with-dark-skin/

The Basque Country is implementing Quantus Skin in its health clinics after an investment of 1.6 million euros. Specialists criticise the artificial intelligence developed by the Asisa subsidiary due to its “poor” and “dangerous” results. The algorithm has been trained only with data from white patients.

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D4MR0D@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
If someone with dark skin gets a real doctor to look at them, because it’s known that this thing doesn’t work at all in their case, then they are better off, really.

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- ryannathans@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Doctors are best at diagnosing skin cancer in people of the same skin type as themselves, it’s just a case of familiarity. Black people should have black skin doctors for highest success rates, white people should have white doctors for highest success rates. Perhaps the next generation of doctors might show more broad success but that remains to be seen in research.
  
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phoenixz@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Though I get the point, I would caution against calling “racism!” on AI not being able to detect molea or cancers well on people with darker skin; its harder to see darker areas on darker skins. That is physics, not racism

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- TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  if only you read more than three sentences you’d see the problem is with the training data. instead you chose to make sure no one said the R word
  
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- Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Think more about the intended audience.
  
  This isn’t about melanoma. The media has been pushing yellow journalism like this regarding AI since it became big.
  
  It’s similar to how right wing media would push headlines about immigrant invasions. Hating on AI is the left’s version of illegal immigrants.
  
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Tollana1234567@lemmy.today ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
you cant diagnosed melanoma just by the skin features alone, you need biopsy and genetic testing too. furthermore, other types of melanoma do not have typical abcde signs sometimes.

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Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
It’s, going to erase me?

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- surewhynotlem@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Who said that?
  
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  - IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    i only see a blank comment.
    
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