Cautious Optimism: A Cross-Sectional Survey of AI Adoption, Attitudes, and Future Expectations Among Chinese Cosmetic Physicians.

BACKGROUND: The integration of AI into China's expanding cosmetic medicine market represents a key technological shift, yet physician perspectives remain underexplored. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide an exploratory assessment of the current landscape, focusing on usage, attitudes, and expectations. METHOD: A cross-sectional online survey of 162 licensed Chinese cosmetic physicians used a pretested structured questionnaire to assess AI usage, attitudes, and concerns using descriptive statistics, χ2 tests (FDR-corrected), effect sizes, and binary logistic regression. RESULT: Substantial AI adoption: 41.4% used AI weekly, with 77.6% of weekly users reporting increased use from the prior year. Top applications were academic research (48.1%) and medical training (44.4%). Physicians held cautious optimism, valuing AI's potential for personalized care (69.1%) but prioritizing concerns about misleading diagnosis (65.4%) and patient privacy (59.3%). Higher usage correlated with greater perceived benefits (adjusted OR=2.1, P<0.01) and stronger privacy concerns (OR=1.8, P=0.02). Gender differences emerged; for example, 78% of female physicians versus 51% of males worried about misdiagnosis (P<0.01). Future priorities included multidimensional beauty assessment systems (64.8%) and intelligent consultants (54.3%), guided by patient-centered principles (52%). CONCLUSION: Chinese cosmetic physicians actively adopt AI in supportive roles amid cautious optimism, with demographic factors shaping acceptance. Reliable, explainable tools, education, and ethical guidelines are critical for responsible integration.