TikTok and other online networks are featuring AI-generated manipulated clips of medical professionals whose statements have been altered to promote supplements and spread health misinformation.
Uncovering the Scheme
An investigative group has discovered hundreds of such videos including impersonated versions of doctors and influencers directing viewers to a American wellness company.
All the synthetic videos use real footage of a health expert sourced from the web. Nevertheless, the visuals and sound have been reworked so that the speakers are urging women going through menopause to purchase items such as probiotics from the firm's online store.
“This represents a alarming and concerning new tactic,” said the factchecker who conducted the investigation.
Professionals Impersonated
Prof David Taylor-Robinson is one of the individuals whose likeness has been manipulated. He was surprised to find that doctored videos purporting to show him endorsing items with unproven benefits were being hosted online.
Although he is a expert in pediatrics, in one video the digital impersonation of him was discussing an alleged menopause side-effect. The fake version suggested that women go to a site and buy a supplement featuring herbal ingredients selected for menopausal symptoms.
“It was really confusing to begin with – all quite surreal,” the real professional said. “I didn’t feel desperately violated, but I did become more and more irritated at the idea of people marketing goods based on my work and the health misinformation being spread.”
Social Media Action
The platform took down the content several weeks after reports were lodged. “Initially, they indicated some of the videos broke their rules but some were fine. That was absurd – and strange,” the professional stated.
The factcheckers also identified comparable deepfakes on other major platforms, all linked to the aforementioned wellness business.
Firm's Denial
The firm in question stated to researchers that deepfake videos directing individuals to visit its site were “100% unaffiliated” with its operations. It said it had “never used AI-generated content”, but “cannot control partners around the world”.
Political and Regulatory Calls
Political figures have said that “From fake doctors to automated accounts that encourage suicide, artificial intelligence 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?” they questioned.
Calls have been made for synthetic impersonations posing as healthcare workers to be “stamped out”, with clinically approved tools strongly promoted.
Industry-Wide Challenge
A representative for the social media platform said: “Harmfully misleading synthetic media is an problem across the tech sector, and we are investing in new ways to detect and remove material that breaks our community guidelines.”
