OUTLOOK27 August 2025England’s health service is trialling an artificial-intelligence tool that can identify skin cancer as accurately as a physician.You have full access to this article via your institution.Deep ensemble for recognition of malignancy (DERM), a skin-lesion analysis technology, is being used across a number of National Health Service (NHS) England trusts as part of a three-year evidence generation period. The trial hopes to show that the artificial intelligence (AI) tool can triage skin lesions as accurately as a physician can. The technology also aims to free up time and money in the NHS.A smartphone is used to photograph skin lesions using a dermoscopic lens attachment, the images are then uploaded to DERM’s online platform. Developed by Skin Analytics, a software company in London, the DERM platform processes the images using an AI algorithm, which can flag lesions that need to be seen to urgently. However, there are few data on the effectiveness of the technology when used on people with dark skin tones and some dermatologists are concerned about the lack of a trained medical professional in triage.Could AI be the future for diagnoses in dermatology?doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02738-wThis article is part of Nature Outlook: Skin, a supplement produced with the financial support from LEO Pharma A/S. Nature maintains full independence in all editorial decisions related to the content. About this content. Skin: preserving the health of a multi-talented organ Explaining the mental-health burden of atopic dermatitis Dermatology has a skin-colour dilemma Gene therapy marks a turning point for rare skin diseases Will the latest skin substitutes revolutionize the treatment of burns and other wounds? A psoriasis cure could be in touching distance A contested skin condition triggered by medicines Five highlights from skin research Acne vaccines could offer robust defenceSponsor feature: Shaping the next era of skin disease therapiesSubjectsCancerMedical researchMachine learningPublic healthLatest on:Jobs Global Talent Recruitment for Suzhou LabAim to a global leader in materials science research society, and create a diverse, innovative, and collaborative research environmentSuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Information Materials, Suzhou Laboratory