Woman Scammed by Deepfake Ad of Her Doctor for Fake Lipedema Cream
Beth Holland, who has lipedema, saw a Facebook ad for a cream called Svelta Venastra that appeared to be endorsed by her doctor and celebrities. The ad was an AI-generated deepfake, and she paid $300 for six bottles. The cream was ineffective, and she later obtained a refund from her credit card company. The incident is part of a rise in medical scams using deepfakes.
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Cigna uses algorithm to deny medical claims without doctor review
Cigna, one of the largest health insurers, used an algorithm called PXDX to automatically deny medical claims. The system flagged mismatches between diagnoses and procedures, and company doctors signed off on denials in batches without reviewing patient files. One patient, Nick van Terheyden, was denied coverage for a $350 vitamin D test that his doctor had ordered. Former employees said the system saved Cigna billions of dollars but left patients with unexpected bills.
- Company involved
- Cigna
- AI system involved
- PXDX
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Acclarent's AI-Powered Surgery Tool Allegedly Injures Patients, Lawsuits Claim
Two patients allege that Acclarent's TruDi Navigation System, which uses AI to confirm device positioning during sinus surgery, misled surgeons and caused severe injuries including strokes. The FDA has received over 100 reports of malfunctions and at least ten injuries since AI was added. Lawsuits claim the company rushed the technology to market with only 80% accuracy, making the device less safe than before. Acclarent denies any causal connection, and the cases are ongoing.
- Company involved
- Acclarent
- AI system involved
- TruDi Navigation System
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Croatian neurosurgeon Josip Paladino again victim of deepfake scam promoting fake drug
A deepfake video posted on Facebook falsely depicts Croatian neurosurgeon Josip Paladino promoting a pain relief product called Steplex. The video uses AI-manipulated footage from a 2012 press conference and a Ukrainian TV fight to fabricate a story of a studio brawl. The scam attempts to trick viewers into purchasing an unregistered product via a suspicious website. Paladino has previously reported similar deepfake incidents to police and the Croatian Medical Chamber.
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Google's Med-Gemini AI Hallucinates Non-Existent Body Part in Brain Scan
In a 2024 research paper, Google's Med-Gemini AI model generated a radiology report diagnosing an 'old left basilar ganglia infarct', a non-existent body part conflating the basal ganglia and basilar artery. The error was not caught by Google before publication. After a neurologist flagged the mistake, Google quietly edited a blog post to correct the term, calling it a typo, but the research paper remains unchanged. Experts warn that such hallucinations pose significant risks if doctors fail to notice them in clinical settings.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Med-Gemini
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TRT-RS's Galileu AI Detects Prompt Injection Attempt in Legal Petition
The Galileu AI system, developed by the Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 4ª Região (TRT-RS) and nationalised by the Conselho Superior da Justiça do Trabalho (CSJT), detected a prompt injection attempt in a petition filed at the 3rd Labour Court of Parauapebas, Pará. The system alerted the magistrate, who reviewed the content and made a decision based on human verification, in line with judicial AI supervision requirements. The court reported that the system prevented the malicious content from being processed and highlighted the importance of institutional AI tools with security measures.
- Company involved
- Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 4ª Região
- AI system involved
- Galileu
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Acclarent's AI-Powered Surgery Tool Allegedly Injures Patients, Lawsuits Claim
The TruDi Navigation System by Acclarent, which uses AI to confirm device positions during sinus surgery, has been linked to at least ten patient injuries including strokes, according to FDA reports and two lawsuits. Plaintiffs Erin Ralph and Donna Fernihough allege that the AI was inaccurate and misled surgeons, causing carotid artery damage and strokes in 2022. Acclarent denies the allegations, stating there is no credible evidence of a causal connection. The lawsuits are ongoing.
- Company involved
- Acclarent
- AI system involved
- TruDi Navigation System
2 source articles · read the reporting →
SA Health aged care AI trial generated 12,000 false alarms, missed real fall
A trial of AI-powered CCTV in two South Australian aged care facilities produced over 12,000 false alerts in a year, causing staff alert fatigue. The system, intended to detect falls and abuse, was overly sensitive and misidentified normal movements as incidents. At least one genuine resident fall went unresponded to because staff were overwhelmed. South Australia's health minister described the rollout as 'botched'.
- Company involved
- SA Health
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI deepfakes of doctors used to scam diabetes patients in Australia
Scammers used AI-generated deepfake videos and fake interviews impersonating diabetes expert Professor Jonathan Shaw and other health professionals to promote a dietary supplement called Glyco Balance. The fraudulent ads falsely claimed the supplement, sold by Vellec Group, was developed at the Baker Institute and that commonly prescribed diabetes medication is dangerous. One victim, Michael, purchased the supplement for $340 before realising it was a scam. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is assessing the situation, and Meta removed the fake video after the Baker Institute reported it.
- Company involved
- Vellec Group
- AI system involved
- Generative AI for deepfake video creation
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AI-generated fake doctors on TikTok give questionable health advice
AI-generated avatars posing as doctors on TikTok have been sharing fake credentials and questionable health advice, deceiving thousands of viewers. The avatars, created using the Captions app, promoted remedies like pineapple-cucumber salads and compared lemon balm to Ozempic. TikToker Javon Ford exposed the app, warning that the realistic AI makes it hard to distinguish from real medical professionals. Indy100 contacted TikTok for comment but received no response.
- Company involved
- TikTok
- AI system involved
- Captions AI avatars
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Royal Free London publishes audit into Streams app data processing
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust published an audit into its use of the Streams app, following an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in July 2017. The Streams app alerts clinicians to patients at risk of acute kidney injury. The audit, conducted by Linklaters, concluded that the trust's use of Streams was lawful and complied with data protection laws, although areas for improvement were identified. The ICO later recognised that the trust had completed all required actions.
- Company involved
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
- AI system involved
- Streams
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust warns of AI-generated fake doctor weight loss videos
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust issued an alert after AI-generated videos on social media falsely showed its doctors endorsing weight loss patches. The videos, found on Facebook and TikTok, are fraudulent and the trust is working to have them taken down. A financial crime expert said the scam aims to sell a herbal product by bypassing rational responses. The BBC contacted the company behind the products but received no response.
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Nurse at St. Rose Dominican Hospital Averts AI-Sepsis Alert Error
A nurse at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nevada, refused to follow an AI-generated sepsis alert that would have given an elderly dialysis patient IV fluids, which could have caused a life-threatening complication. The alert, part of the hospital's electronic system, prompted a charge nurse to order the fluids despite the patient's compromised kidneys. A physician intervened and ordered dopamine instead, averting harm. The incident highlights concerns about AI tools overriding clinical judgment.
- Company involved
- St. Rose Dominican Hospital
1 source article · read the reporting →
Texas AG Settles with Pieces Technologies Over Deceptive Healthcare AI Claims
The Texas Attorney General investigated Pieces Technologies, a Dallas-based healthcare AI company, for making false and misleading statements about the accuracy of its generative AI product used in hospitals. The company claimed an error rate of less than 1 per 100,000, but the investigation found these metrics were likely inaccurate. As part of the settlement, Pieces agreed to accurately disclose its product's accuracy and ensure hospital staff understand the appropriate reliance on its AI. The case marks the first-of-its-kind healthcare generative AI investigation by the AG.
- Company involved
- Pieces Technologies
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Epic sepsis prediction algorithm misses two-thirds of cases, study finds
A study of nearly 30,000 patients at University of Michigan hospitals found that Epic Systems' sepsis prediction algorithm missed two-thirds of sepsis cases and frequently issued false alarms. The algorithm, used by over 100 US health systems, is designed to alert staff to potential sepsis, but the study suggests it provides little value and may contribute to alert fatigue. Epic disputed the study's conclusions, claiming its system has helped save lives.
- Company involved
- Epic Systems
- AI system involved
- Epic sepsis prediction model
6 source articles · read the reporting →
UK councils use Covid OneView AI to harvest personal data for risk scoring
UK local authorities are using a system called Covid OneView, developed by data analytics firm Xantura, to harvest millions of personal details from council records. The system uses predictive analytics and AI to assign risk scores to households and individuals, aiming to identify those vulnerable to Covid or likely to break lockdown rules. Privacy campaigners and MPs have criticised the lack of transparency and the extent of data collection, which includes sensitive information such as debt levels, living arrangements, and even notes on unfaithful sex. Xantura and Barking and Dagenham Council have defended the system as compliant with data protection rules and focused on providing support.
- Company involved
- UK local authorities
- AI system involved
- Covid OneView
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Hangzhou plans permanent health codes with scoring, sparking privacy backlash
Hangzhou health authorities announced plans to launch a permanent health-tracking QR code system that would assign residents a color and numerical score based on medical records and lifestyle choices. The proposal, an expansion of the existing COVID-19 health code system, has sparked online backlash over privacy concerns and fears of discrimination. Critics argue that the system could lead to public exposure of personal health data and potential misuse by employers. The authorities aim to complete the project by May or June 2020.
- Company involved
- Hangzhou Health Authorities
- AI system involved
- Health Code
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Serbia's Social Card law could harm marginalized groups
Serbia's Social Card law, which entered into force on 1 March 2022, establishes a centralized government database to assess eligibility for social security support. Amnesty International and seven other rights organizations submitted a legal opinion to the Constitutional Court, alleging that the automated system is an intrusive surveillance system that could discriminate against Roma communities and people with disabilities. The system processes 130 categories of personal data and lacks transparency, potentially leading to errors and denial of benefits.
- Company involved
- Serbian government
- AI system involved
- Social Card system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Qoves facial assessment tool ranks journalist's attractiveness and suggests procedures
Tate Ryan-Mosley, a journalist at MIT Technology Review, used Qoves Studio's AI facial assessment tool, which automatically scored her face and listed perceived flaws such as smile lines and under-eye bags. The tool recommended skin-care products and paid surgical consultation reports. She also tried Megvii's Face++ beauty-scoring system, which gave her two percentage attractiveness scores. The article raises concerns that such algorithms are inaccurate, biased and not transparently used by social media platforms.
- Company involved
- Qoves Studio
- AI system involved
- Facial Assessment Tool
9 source articles · read the reporting →
CBSE introduces facial recognition system for students to access digital documents
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced a facial recognition system for Class 10 and 12 students to access their digital academic documents. A live image of the student is compared with the photograph on their CBSE admit card and, if the match succeeds, the certificate is emailed to them. The facility is available on Digi Locker for 2020 records and is expected to help foreign students and those unable to open a Digi Locker account.
- Company involved
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
- AI system involved
- Facial Recognition System
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ViaQuatro's facial recognition system in São Paulo metro challenged in court
In April 2018, ViaQuatro installed the Digital Interactive Doors System, developed by AdMobilize, on the São Paulo metro's yellow line. The system used cameras to detect passengers' faces and claimed to infer their emotion, age, and gender in order to target advertisements. The Brazilian Institute of Consumer Protection (IDEC) filed a public civil action alleging that the system violated consumer and data protection laws by processing biometric data without consent and making pseudoscientific and discriminatory inferences. A judge ordered the cameras removed in August 2018, and the case is pending a final ruling.
- Company involved
- ViaQuatro
- AI system involved
- Digital Interactive Doors System (DID system)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Hospitals use Epic AI to predict Covid-19 decline without validation
Dozens of hospitals across the US are using Epic's deterioration index AI system to predict which Covid-19 patients will become critically ill, despite the tool not being validated for the new disease. The rapid deployment during the pandemic bypassed normal testing and validation processes.
- AI system involved
- Deterioration index
9 source articles · read the reporting →
TOV Realty, LLC v. Suarez; Kosel Equity, LLC v. MacGregor (SC Connecticut): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, 6 hours CLE;…
The AI generated legal briefs containing fabricated citations, which were submitted to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
- Company involved
- GLG Law LLC
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
1 source article · read the reporting →
Google Health's diabetic retinopathy AI faced real-world issues in Thailand clinics
Google Health deployed a deep-learning system to screen for diabetic retinopathy in 11 clinics across Thailand. The AI was highly accurate in lab tests but rejected over a fifth of eye scans in real-world conditions due to poor lighting and slow internet. Patients whose scans were rejected had to visit specialists at other clinics, causing inconvenience and frustration for nurses. Google Health is now working with local staff to improve the system's workflow.
- Company involved
- Google Health
10 source articles · read the reporting →