Are there documented instances of deepfake videos being used to advertise health supplements?
Executive summary
Yes — multiple, well-documented instances show AI-generated deepfake videos being used to advertise health supplements, often impersonating real doctors and academics to promote unproven or fraudulent products; investigations and fact-checking organisations have uncovered hundreds of such clips across major social platforms [1][2]. Reporting ranges from individual victim accounts to coordinated campaigns tied to specific supplement vendors, demonstrating both breadth and repeated patterns of abuse [3][4].
1. Documented cases and investigations — concrete examples now on record
Investigations by Full Fact, Media Matters, the Guardian, the Independent and others have identified hundreds of videos that digitally manipulate footage or synthesize doctors’ likenesses to endorse supplements — notable examples include deepfakes of Professor David Taylor‑Robinson and others promoting menopause remedies linked to a US company called Wellness Nest, and earlier cases involving Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Australian clinicians used to sell pills on Facebook and Instagram [1][2][5][6]. Major outlets have also reported specific campaigns: a TODAY investigation documented deepfake ads for GLP‑1 weight‑loss drinks and diabetic-care creams, and Media Matters found formats that pair product footage with a deepfake doctor’s endorsement that accumulated millions of views [3][4].
2. Platforms, methods and scale — where and how these ads appear
The deepfakes have appeared across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and in paid ads and TikTok Shop links, using formats like split-screen testimonials, synthesized voices, and altered clips taken from real online videos; Full Fact and Ground News recorded examples on TikTok and Instagram, while Fast Company, Bitdefender and ABC News documented cross-platform campaigns and multilingual ad networks employing flashy creatives and deepfake videos to target different countries and demographics [7][8][9][5].
3. Motives, actors and business links — financial gain and coordinated scams
The reported pattern is commercial: deepfakes steer viewers to product pages (often selling shilajit, “miracle” powders, diabetes supplements or weight‑loss concoctions) and sometimes use fake certifications or endorsements to feign legitimacy; Full Fact tied many videos to the Wellness Nest storefront, TODAY observed bogus “FDA compliance” claims in ad creative, and security researchers describe coordinated pages and multilingual campaigns designed to maximize purchases [2][3][9]. Media Matters and others note that some merchants exploit platform selling features like TikTok Shop, creating clear incentives to monetize credibility theft [4].
4. Harms, responses and the enforcement gap — what’s being done and what’s missing
Experts warn that impersonating clinicians amplifies misinformation, risks patient harm, and can undermine trust in legitimate medical advice; healthcare organizations and individual clinicians have publicly denounced the ads and sought removals, but platform enforcement has often been slow or inconsistent and regulators are still adapting to AI‑enabled fraud [10][11][6]. Academic and policy analyses warn that deepfakes encourage purchases of unvalidated products and complicate traditional fact‑checking, while some outlets report videos racking up hundreds of thousands of views before removal, underlining enforcement lags [12][7].
5. Limits of current reporting and open questions
Available reporting documents numerous cases and clear commercial linkages, but it does not yet provide a comprehensive global tally, detailed forensic catalogs of creators, or systematic measurements of consumer harm; public investigations tend to spotlight high‑profile examples and platform-visible campaigns, leaving gaps about smaller or private ad buys, attribution of operators, and long‑term health outcomes for consumers who buy these products [1][9][12].
Conclusion — the record is clear that deepfakes are already being leveraged to sell health supplements, with documented campaigns impersonating trusted clinicians, coordinated ad infrastructure directing purchases, and significant concern from researchers and clinicians about consumer harm; what remains critical is more systematic tracking, faster platform enforcement, and regulatory attention to close the gap between documented abuse and effective remedies [2][4][10].