Welcome to an exclusive edition of our Interview series on AllAboutAI.com, where we introduce various stakeholders and developers in the AI industry to share their stories, challenges, and insights.
Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Kirill Sokol, the founder of Skinive, a groundbreaking AI-powered dermatological care system. This conversation is all about Kirill’s journey, the development of Skinive, and the future of AI in healthcare.
Be sure to watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
Now, let’s begin our conversation with Kirill Sokol.
Could You Share a Bit About Your Background And Career That Led To The Development of Skinive?
I started my career over 20 years ago as a software engineer, initially working as a freelancer. Eventually, I became the head of a small outsourcing company. About 14 years ago, my team and I launched a telemedicine service.
I’ve been in digital health for over a decade, applying IT technologies to the healthcare sector. While I don’t have a medical background, my family includes doctors, which sparked my interest in healthcare.
Why Did You Choose To Focus on Healthcare Specifically?
Healthcare is fundamental because everyone needs to be healthy and wants to look good. Having doctors in my family also influenced my decision. My uncle is the head of a hospital. It’s a field where technology can make a significant impact.
What Were Some Key Challenges You Faced While Developing Skinive, And How Did You Overcome Them?
When we launched our telemedicine service, it quickly became popular with over 1,000 doctors and tens of thousands of patients. I noticed that around 20% of all online consultations were related to skin health.
People would send photos of their skin issues and wait hours or even days for a doctor’s response. This led me to the idea of automating these consultations using AI. We had medical data and connections with dermatologists and oncologists, who helped us train our neural network and write scientific papers.
What is the Mission of Skinive?
Our mission is to make dermatological care more accessible to everyone. There is a global shortage of dermatologists, especially in regions like Europe, Asia, and Africa. In Europe there are only 30 dermatologists per 1 million population. Skinive aims to fill this gap using AI and computer vision technologies to analyze images of skin conditions.
How Does Skinive Integrate AI To Assist This Dermatological Assistant?
We are applying artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies to analyze images with different skin conditions. We have a convolutional neural network that analyzes these images.
How Does Skinive Work for Users?
First, users download the Skinive app from the App Store or Google Play. They fill out a short form with their birth year, gender, skin type like is it normal, oily, dry skin, and skin photo type regarding skin color.
They then place a point on a 3D body model where the pathology is located for example, in the hand, on the neck, on the leg and take a photo of the affected area thats all. Within seconds, they receive an analysis.
How Does Skinive Differentiate Itself From Other Skin Analysis Apps?
Of course, we have several competitors in this market who also apply AI to analyze skin pathologies. But unlike other apps that focus solely on mole checking, Skinive is a comprehensive skin scanner.
It can identify various types of rashes, spots, and other skin pathologies. We are also working on analyzing hair and nail diseases, aiming to create a solution for scanning the entire body.
How Does Skinive Handle The Issue of Unbiased Analysis Considering Different Skin Tones and Types?
We have a diverse dataset from clinical trials conducted in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. This helps us adapt our algorithms to various skin types and regions. We see that the distribution of diseases is quite different, and our clinical trials reflect these differences.
What is the Accuracy Level of Skinive?
A year ago, we analyzed our accuracy using a validation dataset of over 25,000 cases, achieving more than 95% overall accuracy. This level of accuracy is comparable to professional dermatologists.
How Does Skinive Ensure User Data Privacy and Security?
Our solution complies with GDPR, HIPAA, and ICO standards, ensuring data privacy. We don’t require personal data like names or faces, which can be used to identify individuals. We only analyze skin photos, making it impossible to identify users.
We do not share any kind of data with third-party companies. Our users trust our privacy policy, and they understand that it is impossible to identify their identity with a photo of a piece of skin.
What Health Regulations Does Skinive Comply With?
There are thousands of doctors using our app. As a European company, we have CE Mark certification, allowing our technology to be used at home and in medical practices worldwide, except the United States and Canada, where FDA approval is required.
So currently, we are in the process, and I hope we can enter the United States market in the next one or two years.
What are The Future Plans For Skinive?
Our immediate plan is to enter the United States market this is how our solution will be available all around the world. We are also completing clinical trials to adapt our algorithm for Afro-American skin types.
Additionally, we aim to build a comprehensive skin health AI ecosystem that includes symptom checking, treatment experience sharing, and online consultations with dermatologists.
We understand that, yes, artificial intelligence is a great technology, but AI cannot make the final diagnosis and cannot make a prescription. This is why we are in negotiation with medical institutions, with healthcare insurance companies, with medical providers.
We want to implement our technology in the healthcare system more closely.
What Excites You Most About The Healthcare Space?
In the first step, it excites me that I can help myself with this solution to keep my skin healthy and beautiful. I’m excited about helping people keep their skin healthy and beautiful. It’s fulfilling to know that our solution can benefit my family, friends, and people around the world.
Tell Us Any Funny Incident Related to Skinive
Sure! About a year and a half ago, I woke up feeling unwell with a rash on my skin. I didn’t know what it was, and my wife pointed it out to me. She took a photo of the rash and used Skinive to analyze it. The app identified the condition as chickenpox.
A couple of days later, doctors confirmed this diagnosis. While it was bad news to have a disease, it was also a funny and happy moment for me, as it demonstrated that I had created a tool capable of identifying health issues even before a doctor could.
Any Memorable Feedback or Advice For Aspiring Tech Professionals in the AI Healthcare Sector?
I see many AI startups growing rapidly across various sectors of the economy. However, in digital health, the pace is much slower. My advice for AI founders in the healthcare sector is to have patience. You need to pass regulatory compliance, gain trust from the medical community, and earn user confidence, all of which take considerable time.
If you remain patient and persistent, you will eventually find success in the AI healthcare sector.
Any Advice You’d Like To Recommend to People in the Tech Space, Especially Those Planning or Aspiring to be Part Of This Industry?
I follow three main rules in my life: positive thinking, meditation, and maintaining good habits. These principles keep my energy levels up and drive me forward. I believe these personal practices are crucial for success.
Any Final Comments or Suggestions For Your Potential Users and Partners, or Any Other Stakeholders?
A hundred years ago, people didn’t have the habit of brushing their teeth regularly. It took 20 to 30 years to establish this as a routine. Today, everyone knows to brush their teeth twice a day. At Skinive, we are trying to instill a new habit of regular skin self-exams. For instance, after a shower once a week, take a moment to examine your skin for any unusual spots or changes in moles.
This simple habit can reduce the number of undiagnosed or late-diagnosed skin diseases by about 30%, ultimately helping to save people’s health, beauty, and even lives, especially when it comes to skin cancer.
If you wish to know more about Skinive, please visit https://skinive.com/. We at AllAboutAI.com are excited to bring you more inspiring stories from industry leaders like Kirill Sokol.
Stay tuned to AllAboutAi.com for more interviews and updates on the latest in AI technology.
