The Deepfake Doctors Social Media Pandemic

It's crazy how I scroll Instagram to see my friends, then I see Dr. Deepfakes. I remember some images were of an old man, an old woman, and some of them used real doctors to promote quack advice. It also promotes "natural health treatments" that are "too good to be true". I was victimized by a scam in 2012. Until now, I have never recovered the money. I couldn't risk taking these blatant scams that says with statements like:

1. "This is what your doctor is never going to tell you."
   
2. "Only I know this miracle cure."
   
3. "The big pharma industry doesn't want this or they'd all be shut down."
   
4. "The big pharma and hospitals are only after your money, not your health. It's all after money, unlike me."

The basic accounting will tell you why hospitals actually need that huge sum of money 

Let's refresh back to basic accounting. There's a big difference between the revenues (the money the hospital makes) vs. the profits (the money left after all expenses). The medical industry is one of the most expensive things to run. I remember having stayed in a hospital and slept there. I was looking at how the hospital isn't an easy industry to run. If we think about it a hospital alone must account for:

1. The cost of paying all its employees, from doctors to janitors. The need for janitors 24/7 alone means that they'll be paying cleaning services like Pacubas more money than the usual shopping mall. The medical staff is even more pressured given the difficulty of their job. They are paid to handle difficult work, and underpaying them or not charging high for operations, is a really dumb thing to do. 
2. The machines don't even come cheap, nor does the equipment. For example, it's incredibly difficult to produce that tiny intraocular lens for cataract removal. They have to be safe, sterile, and as accurate as possible. When I lay down on the bladeless procedure, that machine alone is difficult to maintain. The process of keeping the whole environment sterile is difficult to maintain. As I underwent surgery, the process of making sure nothing goes wrong with my cataract operation is costly to maintain. 
3. The hospitals have to use massive amounts of electricity or water 24/7. Sure, some clinics are closed on certain days. However, the hospital as a whole must account for the 24/7 need of surgeries, emergency operations, radiation, chemotherapy, and the like, which all use incredible amounts of resources.

That's why these deepfake doctors that say, "The hospitals make billions of dollars for themselves," fail to consider those things. There's no joke that people can get worried about the medical costs. Ironically, some people even turn down insurance because of the cost, but can afford to go gambling.This might be the reason why the "Dr. Deepfake" whether it's an old Chinese woman holistic healer or an old man holistic healer, giving unproven medical advice to "combat the evils of Big Pharma" gets popular. People tend to think insurance is a scam but buy into anything too good to be true.

Getting the views of medical doctors on the "Dr. Deepfake" pandemic 

Granted, I'm not a doctor. I decided to write this anyway to warn myself and others of fake medical advice and too good to be true medical cures. I'm going to quote some doctors. An April 19, 2025, article written over at MDLinx says this:

The rise of AI-generated doctors

Thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, individuals can now create highly convincing avatars that mimic the look, sound, and mannerisms of real doctors.

These AI-generated personalities are often featured on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, where they boast large followings.

These accounts may appear professional and knowledgeable, with slick graphics, polished scripts, and even patient testimonials to back up their claims.

They often advertise alternative treatments for everything from chronic pain to mental health disorders, touting natural remedies that supposedly "work better" than conventional medical treatments.

However, there's one critical problem: These digital doctors are not real, and their advice is not only unverified but could be downright dangerous.

The dangers of fake medical advice 

While some AI-generated pages may offer seemingly harmless tips, many are pushing highly questionable products, supplements, or therapies.

Some examples include promoting unregulated weight loss pills, suggesting herbal treatments as substitutes for prescribed medications, or encouraging users to try "miracle" detoxes. These scams prey on vulnerable individuals looking for quick fixes to their health problems.

Real medical professionals are raising the alarm about these digital charlatans, warning that trusting an AI-generated doctor can have serious consequences.

“These fake AI doctors are getting out of hand," Austin Chiang, MD, MPH, says in an Instagram Reel. "I had a feeling this day was going to come where we’d see fake AI doctors spewing all sorts of nonsense. I love when AI is used for good in healthcare, but not when it’s being used to scam innocent people," he continues in the caption.

In one AI-generated Facebook video (that's since been taken down), the "doctor" claimed that chia seeds can help get diabetes under control, which isn't true. [1]

Right now, these ads are getting as annoying as the fake game ads on social media. Fake game ads are becoming more and more dangerous as people may end up buying the game. In this case, the fake medical ads are actually endangering public health. If one thing, I believe these ads need a serious crackdown. This is a huge misuse and aubse of the freedom of expression.