Fake AI ‘Doctors’ Used in Online Adverts Prompt NHS Warning

An NHS trust has warned the public after artificial intelligence-generated videos falsely claimed to show its clinicians endorsing commercial weight loss products.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that videos circulating on social media featuring apparent doctors promoting weight loss patches are fraudulent. The trust said the individuals shown are not members of its staff and that the names used in the adverts are fabricated.

The AI-generated videos, which appeared on platforms including Facebook and TikTok, show people dressed as healthcare professionals claiming to have used or recommended weight loss patches. The trust said it is working to have the content removed and has encouraged members of the public to report the adverts to the relevant social media platforms.

Dr Daghni Rajasingam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the trust, said the videos are “fraudulent” and “misleading”, adding that NHS clinicians would never endorse or promote commercial products in this way.

Fact-checking organisation Full Fact examined the adverts and found multiple indicators that they had been created using AI. These included distorted text, incorrect hospital signage and fabricated clinician identities. In one case, Google’s Gemini AI detected a SynthID watermark, which indicates that AI generation or editing tools may have been used.

The NHS warning comes amid growing concern about the use of AI-generated content to impersonate healthcare professionals and promote unverified health products online. Health experts continue to advise the public to seek medical information from trusted sources, including NHS services and registered healthcare professionals, rather than social media adverts.

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