A self-styled “doctor” sharing health-related content on YouTube is likely an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated character, Taiwan FactCheck Center said, while two Taipei hospitals confirmed that no such doctor works for them.
“Doctor Chen Chi-ming” (陳志明醫師) had posted several videos sharing health-related content, mainly healthcare tips for middle-aged and elderly people. The channel, which is no longer listed on YouTube, had more than 23,000 subscribers at one point, with one video receiving 150,000 views.
One of the videos claimed that a Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) study found that diabetes is not caused by insulin resistance, and that the hospital had developed a revolutionary bacterial therapy that could cure the chronic condition in three months.
Photo: screen grab from YouTube
However, with help from National Institute of Cyber Security experts, Taiwan FactCheck Center said they found that the videos were likely produced by AI.
Some of the tells included that the stethoscope featured in the videos differed from a real stethoscope, and that while the profile picture, other images and the presenter in the videos all use the name “Chen Chi-ming,” they feature two characters with different faces, the center said.
The center said it researched medical studies and asked other doctors about the health content shared in the videos, finding that they lacked sufficient scientific basis.
The center also contacted National Taiwan University Hospital and TVGH, which the videos referenced.
The hospitals confirmed that no “Doctor Chen Chi-ming” works at their hospitals, and that his claim about a “breakthrough therapy” for diabetes does not exist, it said.
TVGH deputy superintendent Lee Wui-chiang (李偉強) on Sunday warned people to not easily believe health-related video, especially those with “sensational” titles.
He urged people to verify the information from multiple sources, and not to share such videos with friends and family without checking their authenticity.
Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) yesterday said the ministry would attempt to verify whether the creator is actually a licensed physician.
If the creator is not a licensed physician, but shares medical information while pretending to be a doctor, they might have contravened the Physicians Act (醫師法), she said.
The ministry would also discuss with the Ministry of Digital Affairs on whether Taiwan should introduce regulations that mandate that doctors who comment on medical issues on social media reveal where they are licensed to practice medicine.
Additional reporting by CNA
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