The social media platform TikTok and other online networks are hosting artificially created deepfake videos of doctors whose statements have been manipulated to promote supplements and circulate false medical claims.
Uncovering the Scheme
A factchecking organisation has discovered hundreds of such videos featuring digital copies of doctors and influencers pointing users to a American wellness company.
All the deepfakes use real footage of a medical authority sourced from the internet. Nevertheless, the visuals and sound have been reworked so that the individuals are urging women experiencing a life stage to buy products such as probiotics from the company’s website.
“This represents a sinister and worrying new tactic,” said the factchecker who undertook the research.
Doctors Targeted
An expert in health inequalities is one of the individuals whose likeness has been manipulated. He was surprised to discover that doctored videos purporting to show him recommending products with unproven benefits were being shared online.
Although he is a expert in pediatrics, in one video the digital impersonation of him was discussing an supposed symptom. The fake version recommended that individuals go to a site and buy a supplement containing plant extracts selected for menopausal symptoms.
“It was really confusing to begin with – entirely bizarre,” the real professional said. “I did not feel intensely wronged, but I did become more and more irritated at the notion of people selling products off the back of my reputation and the false medical advice involved.”
Platform Response
The platform removed the content a period of time after reports were made. “At first, they indicated a portion of the clips broke their rules but others were acceptable. That was absurd – and strange,” he noted.
Investigators also identified similar deepfakes on additional social networks, all linked to the aforementioned wellness business.
Company Statement
The firm in question told investigators that synthetic content encouraging people to visit its site were “completely unrelated” with its business. It claimed it had “not employed synthetic media”, but “cannot control partners around the world”.
Political and Regulatory Calls
Political figures have argued that “From fake doctors to automated accounts that promote self-harm, artificial intelligence is being deployed to prey on vulnerable individuals.”
“Were these people deceptively posing to be doctors they would face legal charges. How is the online version being allowed?” one representative asked.
There are demands for AI deepfakes posing as medical professionals to be “eradicated”, with clinically approved tools strongly promoted.
Industry-Wide Challenge
A spokesperson for the video-sharing app commented: “Dangerously deceptive AI-generated content is an problem across the tech sector, and we continue to invest in new ways to identify and delete material that breaks our community guidelines.”
