Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 27
AI Doctor Videos Make Up 40% of Top TikTok Health Posts as Experts Warn of Safety Risks
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 27

AI Doctor Videos Make Up 40% of Top TikTok Health Posts as Experts Warn of Safety Risks

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 27

Summary

  • Hallam found AI-generated or AI-assisted content in 40% of top TikTok health videos, with leading fake doctor clips averaging 2.5 million views and spreading disproven cancer claims and bogus remedies.
  • For searches such as “health tips,” the share rose to 84%, with deepfake accounts mimicking real doctors and promoting products like “Hyalethinap Plus Pro Max” that could not be verified online.
  • NHS England, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs said the surge in false AI health advice is confusing patients and poses a real public-health risk.
  • TikTok removed examples sent by the Guardian but disputed the research, saying a marketing agency’s findings do not reflect the platform and that it already removes harmful misinformation and labels AI content.
  • The warning lands as social media already shapes health decisions: a Healthwatch England poll last year found about one in five people in England use it for health information.

Insights

Could the trusted doctor you follow on TikTok actually be a dangerous AI designed to exploit your health fears?
Will new AI transparency laws finally force social media giants to expose the deepfake doctors lurking on their platforms?