AI deepfakes of real doctors spreading health misinformation on social media

TikTok and other social media platforms host AI-generated deepfake videos of doctors whose words have been manipulated to help sell supplements and spread health misinformation.

Fact-checking organization Full Fact has uncovered hundreds of such videos showing fake versions of doctors and influencers directing viewers to Wellness Nest, a US-based nutritional supplement company.

All deepfakes are real recordings of a health expert from the Internet. However, the images and audio have been revised so that speakers encourage menopausal women to purchase products such as probiotics and Himalayan shilajit on the company’s website.

The revelations have prompted social media giants to be much more cautious about hosting AI-generated content and more quickly remove content that distorts the views of prominent people.

“This is certainly a sinister and worrying new tactic,” said Leo Benedictus, the fact-checker who conducted the investigation…