Insights on Applications, Considerations and Future of Artificial Intelligence in Facial Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often hailed as the technology that will continue to transform this generation. Among widely adopted applications in other industries, its potential use in medicine is becoming increasingly explored, owing to the extensive amount of data present in electronic health records and the need to improve patient care and workflow efficiency. AI is playing an increasingly important role in facial plastic surgery. By studying technical skills and pathways, and their impact on patient outcomes and error rates, specialists are able to gain a more precise and efficient understanding of our technical skills and pathways. A number of algorithms have been developed to enhance pre-operative assessment, surgical planning, outcome simulation, and post-operative monitoring. In spite of these benefits, there are currently limitations, including the ethical acquisition of large datasets, human biases, and trust in new technologies. It is important to consider how AI may influence the patient-surgeon relationship in the near future. A number of tasks related to documentation, image classification, and surgical outcome prediction have already been assisted by AI. Specifically, facial plastic surgery is a field where this technology lends itself well to specific applications due to its unique characteristics. There are limitations to AI, however, and further adoption of AI in medicine and facial plastic surgery must necessarily be accompanied by discussions on its ethical implications and proper application. A review of the current and potential uses of AI in facial plastic surgery, along with its ethical implications, is presented in this article.