The fabricated physicians pushed cancer myths and sold remedies that do not exist — among them an anti-ageing product The Guardian could find no trace of for sale online.
Material made with AI appeared in 40% of the most popular health-themed TikTok clips examined in a study published this month by Hallam, a digital marketing agency, most of it uploaded by an expanding set of deepfake influencer accounts built to look like genuine physicians.
The sample ran to 1,198 clips, made up of the 50 highest-ranking videos for each of a range of search queries, among them health tips and doctor advice. On a separate measure, for certain queries — searches for health tips included — 84% of the clips examined were categorised as either AI-generated or AI-assisted.
The fabricated physicians were spreading cancer myths: that microwaving food in plastic, using deodorant or sleeping next to a phone can cause the disease. Cancer Research UK has refuted every one of those claims.
The same accounts promoted remedies with nothing behind them, including Coca-Cola mixed with onion sold as a pain-relief treatment, and an invented anti-ageing product called Hyalethinap Plus Pro Max. One avatar said it had spent years recommending that product to patients, claiming it could tackle hair loss, weakening skin, brittle nails and aching joints by prompting the body to make anti-ageing molecules on its own. The Guardian could find no evidence the product exists for sale online. When the paper passed samples of the deceptive clips to TikTok, the company deleted them.
Responding to the findings, specialists warned that misleading health claims circulating on the internet represent a grave risk to public safety. Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the British Medical Association's council, said AI accounts are pushing medical myths and promoting so-called miracle cures, and that platforms such as TikTok must do more to stop dangerous fake medical advice, or the public could pay with their health or their lives.
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, said the study troubled her and that deceptive material made by AI brought with it a genuine potential for harm. Prof Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, called the growth of bogus medical information online worrying.
Savanta, polling for Healthwatch England during 2025, found that roughly one person in five turns to social media for health information; its sample covered 3,575 men and 3,832 women aged 18 and over in England. William Pett, standing in as head of policy and public affairs there, said people who cannot tell trustworthy information apart from marketing spin or falsehoods are liable to be led astray in ways that could do serious damage to their health.
A TikTok spokesperson said the study's conclusions came from a marketing agency with commercial interests and did not portray the platform accurately. The company said it takes down damaging false health information, including material made by AI, works alongside the World Health Organization and the NHS so that trustworthy health guidance is available inside the app, and keeps investing in labelling technology and materials to build AI literacy.