Hundreds of AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating real doctors are circulating on TikTok and other social media platforms, promoting unproven supplements and spreading health misinformation, according to a new investigation by the factchecking organisation Full Fact.
The videos feature manipulated footage of health experts, including Professor David Taylor-Robinson of Liverpool University and former Public Health England chief executive Duncan Selbie, who appear to endorse products from a US-based supplements firm called Wellness Nest. In one case, a deepfake of Taylor-Robinson falsely claimed that a probiotic could alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flushes.
Taylor-Robinson discovered the videos when a colleague alerted him. He described the experience as 'surreal' and expressed irritation at the misuse of his image to sell products. TikTok took down the videos only after six weeks of complaints, initially claiming some were acceptable. 'That was absurd – and weird – because I was in all of them and they were all deepfakes,' he said.
Full Fact identified similar deepfakes on X, Facebook and YouTube, all linked to Wellness Nest or its British outlet, Wellness Nest UK. The firm denied any affiliation with the deepfakes, stating it had 'never used AI-generated content' but could not control affiliates worldwide.
Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan condemned the practice, saying: 'From fake doctors to bots that encourage suicide, AI is being used to prey on innocent people and exploit the widening cracks in our systems.' The findings have prompted calls for social media platforms to act more swiftly to remove AI-generated content that distorts individuals' views.
