AI Deepfakes of Medical Professionals Spread Health Misinformation Across Social Media

A troubling trend has emerged across social media platforms, where AI-generated deepfakes are impersonating credible medical professionals to promote unverified health claims and supplements. According to recent investigations by UK fact-checking charity Full Fact, these sophisticated forgeries are becoming increasingly difficult to identify and pose significant public health concerns.

The Guardian reported on December 5, 2025, that numerous videos featuring AI-manipulated images and voices of real doctors and academics have proliferated across TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube. These videos typically present “new” health conditions or miracle cures, ultimately directing viewers to purchase specific supplements through affiliate marketing links.

One particular network of accounts investigated by Full Fact took genuine footage of respected professors and doctors, transforming their presentations into endorsements for products they never actually supported. In one case, a single manipulated video amassed over 365,000 views before TikTok permanently removed the account. The investigation revealed these deepfakes consistently directed viewers to the same supplement seller through various accounts.

“These deepfakes represent a public health threat,” said Dr. Sean Mackey of Stanford, who discovered his own likeness being used without consent in these deceptive videos. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) had previously warned about this emerging issue in 2024, noting that deepfake doctor videos were already successfully deceiving viewers and steering them toward expensive, unproven remedies.

The effectiveness of these deepfakes stems from their exploitation of human psychology. People inherently trust familiar faces and established experts, particularly when seeking relief for health concerns. The videos are strategically designed to target vulnerable individuals searching for solutions to conditions like menopause symptoms, chronic pain, or sleep disorders.

Duncan Selbie, former head of Public Health England, expressed alarm after seeing a deepfake of himself: “People who know me could have been taken in by it. It wasn’t funny in the sense that people pay attention to these things.” Beyond driving supplement sales, these manipulated videos erode public trust in legitimate medical advice and institutions.

The technical sophistication behind these forgeries has reached concerning levels. The videos often feature nearly perfect lip synchronization, natural voice replication, and professional-looking production values that make detection challenging for average viewers. Only subtle inconsistencies in mouth movements or voice patterns might reveal their fraudulent nature.

Platform responses to the problem have been inconsistent. TikTok eventually removed identified deepfakes but admitted to delayed moderation in some cases. YouTube has implemented labels for “altered or synthetic content,” while Meta claims to remove harmful misinformation, though Full Fact reported mixed enforcement. The rapid view accumulation in the critical early hours after posting often means the damage is done before content moderation takes effect.

Health misinformation experts recommend several strategies for identifying potential deepfakes. Viewers should verify claims through independent medical sources, search for the exact quotes outside the platform, and be particularly cautious of content that promotes “miracle cures” or newly named conditions not recognized in mainstream medicine. Checking the account history for inconsistencies in posting patterns or sudden changes in subject matter can also reveal suspicious activity.

The affiliate marketing structure behind these videos creates powerful financial incentives for their continued production. Creators earn commissions when viewers purchase products through their links, regardless of whether the seller claims any official connection to the content. This revenue model helps explain why identical products frequently appear across different accounts posting similar deepfaked clips.

As AI technology continues to advance, the barrier to creating convincing deepfakes has lowered dramatically. What once required sophisticated equipment and technical expertise can now be accomplished with widely available software tools, making the volume of potential deepfakes difficult to combat through traditional content moderation alone.

Health advocates stress the importance of consulting qualified medical professionals before trying supplements or treatments promoted through social media, particularly those making extraordinary claims. The most effective defense remains critical media literacy and a healthy skepticism toward content that triggers emotional responses or promises quick fixes to complex health issues.