TikTok and other social media platforms are featuring artificially created deepfake videos of doctors whose statements have been altered to help sell supplements and spread false medical claims.
The Investigation
An investigative group has discovered numerous of such videos featuring impersonated versions of physicians and online personalities pointing users to a American supplements firm.
All the synthetic videos use real footage of a health expert sourced from the web. However, the visuals and sound have been reworked so that the speakers are urging women going through menopause to buy products such as probiotics from the company’s website.
“This represents a alarming and concerning new tactic,” stated the investigator who undertook the research.
Professionals Impersonated
An expert in health inequalities is one of the individuals whose likeness has been manipulated. He was surprised to find that altered footage purporting to show him recommending products with unproven benefits were being shared online.
Though he is a specialist in pediatrics, in a particular clip the digital impersonation of him was talking about an supposed menopause side-effect. The fake version recommended that individuals visit a website and buy a natural probiotic containing herbal ingredients selected for menopausal symptoms.
“It was very disorienting to begin with – entirely bizarre,” the actual doctor commented. “I did not feel intensely wronged, but I did become more and more irritated at the notion of people marketing goods off the back of my reputation and the health misinformation being spread.”
Social Media Action
The platform took down the videos a period of time after complaints were made. “At first, they said a portion of the clips violated their guidelines but some were fine. That was illogical – and weird,” the professional stated.
The factcheckers also identified comparable AI-generated videos on other major platforms, all connected with the same supplements business.
Firm's Denial
The company in question told investigators that synthetic content directing individuals to access its site were “100% unaffiliated” with its operations. It claimed it had “never used synthetic media”, but “cannot control affiliates around the world”.
Political and Regulatory Calls
Lawmakers have said that “From fraudulent physicians to bots that encourage suicide, AI is being used to exploit innocent people.”
“If these were people deceptively posing to be doctors they would face legal charges. How is the digital equivalent being allowed?” one representative asked.
Calls have been made for AI deepfakes posing as medical professionals to be “stamped out”, with verified medical resources strongly promoted.
A Shared Problem
A representative for the video-sharing app said: “Dangerously deceptive synthetic media is an industry-wide challenge, and we continue to invest in novel methods to identify and delete content that breaks our platform rules.”