Updated
Updated · Futurism · Jul 26
Meta Carries $10 AI Doctor Ads Selling Quack Cures, NYT Finds
Updated
Updated · Futurism · Jul 26

Meta Carries $10 AI Doctor Ads Selling Quack Cures, NYT Finds

3 articles · Updated · Futurism · Jul 26

Summary

  • Hundreds of Facebook and Instagram ads used AI-generated doctors, gurus and patient testimonials to push unproven supplements, with some claiming to treat kidney disease better than medication, a New York Times investigation found.
  • One Chinese marketing company said it produces 1,200 AI videos a day for $10 each, tailoring them to look American while skirting direct health claims with softer wording such as “weight management.”
  • A 71-year-old buyer, Pamela Wundrow, said she took Rosabella moringa after seeing Facebook ads; regulators later recalled the supplement over salmonella contamination, and she said her health worsened while using it.
  • Meta says it labels AI-generated content, but the Times found clearly synthetic health videos still running until they were removed, underscoring how social-media rules remain looser than U.S. broadcast standards.

Insights

How are cheap AI avatars bypassing social media filters to sell contaminated supplements that hospitalize dozens?
With 131 recent illnesses linked to fake online doctors, can we ever trust digital health advice again?