Look out for AI-generated ‘TikDocs’ who exploit the general public’s belief within the medical career to drive gross sales of sketchy dietary supplements
25 Apr 2025
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3 min. learn
As soon as confined to analysis labs, generative AI is now accessible to anybody – together with these with in poor health intentions, who use AI instruments to not spark creativity, however to gas deception as a substitute. Deepfake know-how, which might craft remarkably lifelike movies, pictures and audio, is more and more turning into a go-to not only for celeb impersonation stunts or efforts to sway public opinion, but additionally for id theft and all method of scams.
On social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the attain of deepfakes, together with their potential for hurt, may be particularly staggering. ESET researchers in Latin America just lately got here throughout a marketing campaign on TikTok and Instagram the place AI-generated avatars posed as gynecologists, dietitians and different well being professionals to advertise dietary supplements and wellness merchandise. These movies, usually extremely polished and persuasive, disguise gross sales pitches as medical recommendation, duping the unwary into making questionable and doubtlessly outright dangerous purchases.
Anatomy of a deception
Every video follows the same script: a speaking avatar, usually tucked right into a nook of the display, delivers well being or magnificence ideas. Distributed with an air of authority, the recommendation leans closely on “pure” treatments, nudging viewers towards particular merchandise on the market. By cloaking their pitches within the guise of professional suggestions, these deepfakes exploit belief within the medical career to drive gross sales, a tactic that’s as unethical as it’s efficient.
In a single case, the “physician” touts a “pure extract” as a superior various to Ozempic, the drug celebrated for aiding weight reduction. The video guarantees dramatic outcomes and directs you to an Amazon web page, the place the product is described as “rest drops” or “anti-swelling aids”, with no connection to the hyped advantages.
Different movies improve the stakes additional, pushing unapproved medication or pretend cures for critical sicknesses, generally even hijacking the likeness of actual, well-known medical doctors.
AI to the “rescue”
The movies are created with official AI instruments that enable anybody to submit brief footage and remodel it into a sophisticated avatar. Whereas it is a boon for influencers seeking to scale their output, this identical know-how may be co-opted for deceptive claims and deception – in different phrases, what may go as a advertising gimmick rapidly morphs right into a mechanism for spreading falsehoods.
We noticed greater than 20 TikTok and Instagram accounts utilizing deepfake medical doctors to push their merchandise. One, posing as a gynecologist with 13 years of expertise beneath her belt, was traced on to the app’s avatar library. Whereas such misuse violates the phrases and circumstances of frequent AI instruments, it additionally highlights how simply they are often weaponized.
Finally, this is probably not “simply” about nugatory dietary supplements. The implications may be extra dire, as these deepfakes can erode confidence in on-line well being recommendation, selling dangerous “treatments” and delaying correct therapy.
Maintaining pretend medical doctors at bay
As AI turns into extra accessible, recognizing these fakes turns into trickier, posing a broader problem even for tech-savvy folks. That stated, listed below are just a few indicators that may allow you to spot deepfake movies:
- mismatched lip actions that don’t sync with the audio or for facial expressions that really feel stiff and unnatural,
- visible glitches, like blurred edges or sudden lighting shifts, additionally usually betray the fakery,
- a robotic or overly polished voice is one other crimson flag,
- additionally, examine the account itself: new profiles with few followers or no historical past increase suspicion,
- watch out for hyperbolic claims, like “miracle cures”, “assured outcomes” and “medical doctors hate this trick”, particularly in the event that they lack credible sources,
- all the time confirm claims with trusted medical sources, keep away from sharing suspect movies, and report deceptive content material to the platform.
As AI instruments proceed to advance, distinguishing between genuine and fabricated content material will develop into tougher fairly than simpler. This menace underscores the significance of growing each technological safeguards and bettering our collective digital literacy that can assist defend us from misinformation and scams that might affect our well being and monetary well-being.
