A real doctor used a pseudonym to post viral health AI slop and sell books

This story was reported in partnership with NDR, the German public broadcaster.

"The best vegetable to fight cancer is broccoli." 

That statement appears in a short, AI-generated video in which an anthropomorphic piece of broccoli shadowboxes as a narrator makes claims about the cancer-fighting effects of food.

The video was posted by a network of accounts called Vitality Sphere and Vitalitysphere360 that have used similar AI-generate health content to gain tens of millions of views and millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

The claims made in Vitality Sphere’s content carried extra weight because the accounts — and a related series of books — were attributed to Dr. Kim Bado, a “Surgeon & Health expert.” The verified Vitality Sphere Facebook page said the doctor was offering “science-based tips & natural remedies to help you heal and thrive—without unnecessary chemicals or fad diets.” Many videos concluded with the tagline, “If nature didn’t make it, don't take it.” 

Dr. Bado’s medical credentials also helped market more than half a dozen books with titles like "Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally” and “Healing your Body with Tea.” The description of the diabetes book said it provided a “doctor-approved roadmap to reclaiming your health.” (Emphasis in the original.)

Here’s a compilation of Vitality Sphere content, including the broccoli video:

This is usually where a story reveals that Dr. Bado is fake. But not this time. A real physician is behind the books accounts, but “Dr. kim Bado” is a pseudonym.

The Vitality Sphere accounts and website are run by Dr. Hakim Bahdo, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at a hospital in Saarland, Germany. One expert said Dr. Bahdo’s online activity pushed the limits of the country’s professional code of conduct for doctors.