During the recent holiday season, Cathy Pedrayes, a content creator and consumer advocate, noticed a troubling trend on TikTok: the growing use of AI avatars to promote questionable health products. One video in particular caught her attention—a clip claiming to reveal insider tips from a supposed “butt doctor” after 13 years of experience, suggesting an Amazon supplement for iron deficiency and a health newsletter. Despite its ridiculous premise, the video garnered over 5.2 million views, prompting Pedrayes to investigate further. She discovered a plethora of similar accounts using this tactic.

AI Doctor Videos: A New Social Media Trend

The emergence of AI-generated doctor advertisements represents a significant issue for social media platforms. The ease of creating such content has led to an influx of videos featuring lifelike AI avatars that project medical authority. These ads have transcended individual platforms, appearing on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok under a unified marketing strategy that promotes unproven health products.

The advanced technology utilized allows for a mix of real footage and AI-generated content that makes videos appear authentic. This realism raises concerns for both viewers and creators about the integrity of information disseminated online.

Insights from Health Experts

Javon Ford, a cosmetic chemist with a substantial TikTok following, is vocal about the dangers of these AI doctor advertisements, especially as they endorse harmful practices like using beef tallow as sunscreen. Ford’s investigation into these ads revealed links to an application called Captions.ai, which enables users to generate videos featuring avatars based on various demographic criteria. While the platform prohibits users from impersonating real individuals under its guidelines, enforcement of these rules remains unclear.

Impact on Consumer Safety

According to Olivia Little, a senior investigative researcher at Media Matters, the increasing complexity of “wellness scams” on TikTok poses a serious risk to consumer safety. These scams often employ misleading health claims and pretend to offer expertise by fabricating credentials and testimonials.

“It’s a consumer safety issue as well as a user safety issue,” Little noted, emphasizing the potential harm of accounts masquerading as medical professionals. This deception undermines public trust and diminishes accountability for real health advice.

Regulatory Challenges on Social Media Platforms

As AI technology continues to advance, social media platforms struggle to keep pace with the necessary guidelines to regulate AI-generated content. For example, Meta requires disclosures for AI-modified images and videos, yet numerous AI-generated health videos remain prevalent without proper identification. TikTok’s policies also mandate a ban on AI content that misrepresents authority; however, after recent removals prompted by Media Matters, similar accounts quickly resurfaced.

Online Safety and Consumer Education

Pedrayes, who advocates for online safety to her two million followers, expresses concern about the challenges users face in discerning credible information from misleading ads. “It seems that people are missing the basic skills to evaluate the authenticity of what they see online,” she remarked, emphasizing the role of platforms in mitigating the spread of deceptive content.