Home · Personal · Writing & Creative · Photo & video

NO

As of 13 August 2026, AI cannot identify whether a mole in a photo looks worrying.

This still needs a person who signs their name to it.

Can you do it?

5 minutesto a draft.

n/ait cannot be self-verified.

Cost, all in£0

Skill neededchat-fluent

Who has to check ita professional

What the alternative costsThe available tool data gives no price for a GP or dermatologist assessment.

A false reassurance can delay medical assessment of a potentially serious skin condition.

What to actually do

  1. Hand it to a person

    The route this page recommends

    Someone with a licence or accountable authority has to sign this before it counts.

  2. Use a tool built for this

    Second choice

  3. Do it yourself

    The distant third

    A chat interface gets you a draft, but you cannot verify it yourself. That is the catch.

    How to actually do it

    1. Take a clear, well-lit photo of the mole without filters, including one close view and one view showing where it is on your body.
    2. Open an image-capable chatbot such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and attach the photos.
    3. Paste the prompt above and add the mole's location, how long it has been there, and any changes in size, shape, colour, bleeding, crusting, itching or pain.
    4. Use the response only to list visible features and questions to raise, not to decide that the mole is harmless.
    5. Contact your GP if the mole has changed or worries you, and contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms.

    Prompt

    I have attached a photo of a mole. Describe only what is visibly present, such as its apparent colour, outline, symmetry, surface and whether the image is too poor to assess. Do not diagnose it, estimate the risk of cancer, or say that it is safe. Explain clearly that a photo cannot replace an examination. List the visible or reported changes that should prompt medical advice, including growth, change in shape or colour, bleeding, crusting, persistent itching or pain. If the mole looks worrying to me or has changed, tell me to contact a GP, and to contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms. Do not ask me to rely on your assessment instead of medical care.

    Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

What it gets wrong

  • AI cannot examine the mole by touch or assess it under clinical lighting and magnification.
  • AI cannot reliably distinguish a harmless mole from skin cancer in a photograph.
  • AI cannot take responsibility for deciding whether you need an appointment or referral.
  • Image quality, skin tone, lighting and camera processing can change the features the model sees.
  • A confident-looking description can give false reassurance when the photo misses an important sign.

What makes this a NO: stakes of error, verification cost and judgement under ambiguity.

How we scored this

Five axes, each scored nought to two by hand: ten means AI carries the task cleanly, and the thresholds that turn a total into YES, PARTLY or NO are published in the methodology. Each axis name links to its definition.

AxisScore (0–2)
Output1
Inputs1
Verification0
Liability0
Effort delta1
Total3 / 10

The methodology and its thresholds are published in full.

FAQ

Can AI tell if a mole is cancerous?
No. AI can describe some visible features in a photo, but it cannot diagnose skin cancer or safely rule it out. If the mole has changed or worries you, contact your GP, and contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms.
Can I upload a mole photo to ChatGPT?
You can upload a photo to an image-capable chatbot for a description of what is visible, but do not use its answer as a diagnosis or reassurance. Avoid including identifying details, and seek medical advice if the mole has changed or concerns you.
What should I do if a mole looks worrying?
Contact your GP for medical assessment, especially if the mole is changing, bleeding, crusting, painful or persistently itchy. Contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms rather than waiting for an AI assessment.
Can AI replace a GP or dermatologist for a mole?
No. A GP or dermatologist can examine the mole, consider your history and arrange further assessment when needed. AI cannot take over that responsibility or safely confirm that a mole is harmless.

Nearby answers

All Photo & video rulings

Assessed by gpt-5.6-luna (gpt-5.6-luna) on 2026-08-13, second-checked by an independent model. Wrong somewhere? Email [email protected] and it gets re-checked.

The newsletter

AI news, new answers and product picks, straight to your inbox.