AI Doctor Deepfakes on Social Media: Scammers Impersonating Physicians

The Rise of AI Doctor Deepfakes

• 💡 A new trend of "doctor deepfakes" is emerging on social media, featuring AI-generated videos of individuals who look and sound like real doctors.
• 🎯 These deepfakes are created using advancements in AI, making it easier for scammers to impersonate medical professionals.

Impersonation and Product Promotion

• 🎭 Some deepfakes use filters to impersonate real doctors, while others create entirely artificial, yet realistic, medical experts from scratch.
• 💰 CBS News confirmed dozens of accounts with over 100 AI-generated videos on TikTok and Instagram falsely claiming to be actual doctors, primarily promoting products in beauty, wellness, and weight loss.
• 📈 Many of these misleading videos have garnered millions of views.

Platform Responses and Detection

• ✅ TikTok and Meta (owner of Instagram) have taken action against flagged videos that violate their policies.
• ⚠️ TikTok removed over 94% of content violating AI-generated content policies proactively between January and March 2025.
• 🔍 Meta removed videos violating advertising and health/wellness policies, restricting access for users under 18.
• 🗣️ Both platforms use human and technological approaches to identify violating videos, acknowledging that bad actors constantly evolve their tactics.

Identifying Deepfakes and Protecting Yourself

• 🧐 Glitches and flickering in the face can be signs of a deepfake.
• 🤖 A robotic voice lacking variety may indicate AI generation.
• ⚠️ Be wary of overblown claims promoting miracle cures or guaranteed results.
• ⚖️ If a claim sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Broader Implications of AI Impersonation

• 🧠 Dr. Joel Berll, a "medical mythbuster," was able to get his deepfake impersonations removed after rallying supporters to report them.
• 📉 He emphasizes that more needs to be done to address the problem, as the harm extends beyond individual likenesses being stolen.
• 🔬 When people cannot distinguish real information from deepfakes, it erodes trust in science, making it harder to discern accurate treatments and safe procedures.