AI Doctors and Fruit Love Island: Why Brand Authenticity Matters Now More Than Ever
Have you ever been scrolling and realised the 'person' you were watching is actually AI? AI isn't just helping people create content anymore; it's becoming the content creator. Deepfaked doctors, built using tools like Captions.ai to turn a script into a talking avatar, are handing out health advice with no medical training to back them up.
On the other side of the feed, storytelling accounts are turning fruit into soap opera stars, complete with romance, betrayal and revenge, dressed up in full reality-TV formatting. The styles couldn't look more different, but both exist for the same reason: to capture and hold attention, and are multiplying fast across TikTok, Instagram and Threads.
Where We’re Seeing It
Deepfaked doctors giving out health advice are just one strand of a wider AI experts trend, which also includes AI-generated news presenters and reporters. Most are built with avatar tools, and despite platform guidelines requiring it, they are rarely labelled as AI. Investigative outlet Indicator uncovered dozens of unlabelled AI doctor accounts across Instagram, Facebook and Threads in January 2026.
On the entertainment side, fictional AI characters are being built around reality TV-style storytelling. The clearest example is Fruit Love Island, an all-fruit AI soap opera run by TikTok account @ai.cinema021, which has racked up 2.3 million followers and tens of millions of views. It's also been picked up by mainstream media, a sign that it's moved well beyond niche corners of the internet and into the wider cultural conversation.
Why It Matters
The concern isn't just that this content exists; it's that people are increasingly struggling to tell what's real and what is AI. Research has found that trust in hyper-realistic AI-generated imagery is growing as the technology improves. This only reinforces the need for transparency and clear labelling as AI content gets harder to spot.
The proof is already stacking up. ABC Australia reported on Lily Jay, an influencer with nearly 3 million followers who has been scamming her audience by raising donations for an AI-generated orphanage in Africa that doesn't exist. AI doctor @wellnessmaddie has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, with users commenting as though she were a real health expert. Research from King's College London found that one in seven people have used AI instead of seeing a GP, and one in ten have turned to AI for mental health support instead of a trained professional. A Mental Health UK and Censuswide survey covered by The Irish Times also found that 37% of UK adults have tried chatbots for mental health conversations, rising to 64% among 25 to 34-year-olds.
Why It's So Addictive
The format of these videos borrows heavily from addictive and familiar structures like reality TV. Known as AI slop, this high-volume, automated content is produced to maximise engagement, making it the digital equivalent of junk food. It's fast, it's endless, and it's optimised to catch the eye as you scroll. The combination of these two creates a deeply familiar yet visually strange experience, triggering a strong dopamine response that's built for scrolling.
Beyond fruit soap operas, this pattern is repeating across other 'slop' genres, such as AI-generated accounts that invent 'lost footage' which looks just real enough to make you pause. These accounts are often mass-produced using similar templated scripts.
Attempted Regulation
Governments are starting to catch up, introducing legislation aimed at improving transparency around AI-generated content and cracking down on deepfakes. Under the EU AI Act's transparency rules, AI-generated and manipulated content, deepfakes included, must be clearly disclosed. Ireland's proposed Protection of Voice and Image Bill aims to criminalise the unauthorised creation or use of AI-generated likenesses, voices and deepfakes. Regulation is moving, but AI development is still outpacing it.
What It Means For Brands
For a long time, making genuinely human content was a given. But now, as feeds fill up with AI-generated content, it's a bonus. This means having human-made content is now the baseline for brands. Since anyone is now capable of creating a post using a simple prompt, human-created content offers a unique way to stand out and establish genuine trust.
The things AI can't fake for brands are a genuine point of view, content that shows an actual understanding of its audience, and the honesty to be open. One of consumers' biggest worries is increasingly becoming that companies are quietly using AI without disclosing it, and most say they're more likely to trust brands that are upfront and honest about it.
Jailbird’s Take
AI is developing faster than almost any technology the world has seen to date, and the industry can't afford to stand still while it does. But keeping pace doesn't mean handing over the parts of the job that matter most. When it comes to front-facing communications like press releases and social content, AI shouldn't be the sole creator. This is the work that carries a brand's voice and reputation, and it needs a human behind it. If AI plays any role in that process, being open about how it was used isn't optional; transparency is what keeps trust intact. Where AI genuinely earns its place is behind the scenes, whether it's handling admin, speeding up brainstorming or taking the admin work off people's plates so they can focus on the thinking and the craft. Even at that, every output should be reviewed by a human eye, and every edit should be made by a person. Used this way, AI becomes a tool that supports good PR, not a shortcut that quietly replaces it, because AI won't take over PR, but PR professionals who can use AI will.