India, July 23 -- "This is what we look like on day one of taking beetroot every day. this is day 50..." They look like the kind of wellness content creators you scroll past every day on social media - except 'none of them are real'. Also read | Doctors at the heart of health care in the age of AI

An investigation by The New York Times revealed a surge in AI-generated avatars posing as medical professionals, traditional healers, and lifestyle influencers to hawk health supplements through deceptive social media ads.

In a July 22 Instagram video, The New York Times said it reviewed hundreds of these spots to uncover how AI video tools are helping a loosely regulated industry target vulnerable consumers and profit off health disinformatio...