Doctors increasingly ‘deepfaked’ on social media, investigation finds

Library image. Credit: Getty/Tero Vesalainen

By Emma Wilkinson

Concerns have been raised about the increasing number of “deepfake” AI generated videos of trusted TV doctors, used to sell scam products on social media.

A BMJ investigation found in one example, a Facebook clip appeared to show Dr Hilary Jones, a GP and long-time health expert on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, promoting a blood pressure medication.

The video is set in the studio with Dr Jones and presenter Lorraine Kelly appearing to discuss a “natural” product that in eight out of ten cases normalises blood pressure.

He told the BMJ that the video is one of many AI deepfakes created as a promotional tool for dodgy products and he now hires someone to trawl social media to identify videos misrepresenting his views to get them taken down.

“There’s been a significant increase in this kind of activity. Even if you do, they just pop up the next day under a different name.