Manufacturing Belief: AI Deepfake Is The New Snake-Oil Salesman

Circulating around the web, a compelling video on the real fears of progressive Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) promises an easy, make-at-home recipe to save you and your loved ones from this dreaded illness. This ancient “trick” is dubbed the Himalayan Honey Trick (yet sadly, no such recipe is ever shared). It appears, upon close examination, that this video represents the new snake-oil salesman: the AI deepfake.

What is an AI Deepfake?

Let’s jump into the new world of the AI deepfake. The term “deepfake” was coined in 2017 by a Reddit user and quickly gained notoriety. It combines “deep learning” — that is, storing and analyzing video, audio, images, and text — with fabricated information. In response to the emerging technology, the GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office) put out a Science & Tech Spotlight on deepfakes in February 2020.

But the technology has improved exponentially since that report, and the consumer has a new challenge: determine if online content is legit or is actually an AI deepfake.

You may ask, does it matter?

Well, as with any technology in the history of the world, the tech is as useful or harmful as it’s applied. If the intent is to deceive, then yes, “Buyer Beware” has entered an entirely new level of action.

What does this have to do with the video about Alzheimer’s?

AI technology enables artificial intelligence to create video and audio using stored information. Celebrities, who have a lot of public content, are easy fakes. Several debut in this marketing content about a new dietary supplement for cognitive health.

Spoiler Alert! Staying with whole superfoods and superherbs, as well as trusted voices in the supplement world, will save your pocketbook from scams and your body and mind from senseless stress and fear.

The Video That Promises A Cure

We watched it, so you won’t have to.

In this rendition of the sales pitch, a teary eyed “Steve Martin” talks about his fear of losing his faculties and succumbing to Alzheimer’s Disease like his friend Robin Williams.

Let’s pause here.

First issue, Robin Williams was misdiagnosed with AD. An autopsy proved that he suffered from diffuse Lewy Body Dementia. As a “dear friend,” Steve Martin should have known the final diagnosis and not mislabeled it out of respect for his friend.

Nevertheless, Steve Martin feels he was saved by…

An Ancient Himalayan Honey Trick

“Roll the footage.” Here the video dives into the investigative mind of none other than Bill Gates, whose father did, indeed, die from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2020.

The story he tells of looking for a cure for AD in the wake of his elderly father’s passing includes a bizarre claim of a young child dying from the disease. (Yet an online search reveals the youngest known case is of a 19 year old from China.)

The problem? Cadmium Chloride accumulation. Alzheimer’s Disease is not the result of plaque buildup in the brain, after all.

(Well, he did get that right, pointing out the fraudulent studies that captured the AD research monies. View related stories here and here.)

Then Gates goes to the Island of Sardinia, which is home to the long-lived Sardinian people. His team notices improvement in their own health, and they start looking for the reason. Their research shows high lithium levels in the drinking water and nutrient-dense honey — there’s the honey!, you think — which may explain exceptional mental health into old age.

A study must be done!

And it is. Here, the fake Gates lays claim to the recent U.S. POINTER study as support for his examination into compounds that promote healthy cognition during our senior years.

Skipping ahead, check out the actual PBS news story about the POINTER study, where Dr. Jessica Langbaum hails the results of the lifestyle interventions of the POINTER study as a promising start, though nothing startling new or revealing.

Lifestyle matters. It always has.

If you only watched the marketing video, though, you’d hear from Dr. Langbaum that “we can’t fool ourselves.” This fake “clip” uses false captions and voiceovers for Dr. Langbaum.

Does it matter that it’s an AI deepfake if the product is real?

Once you hear the problem (AD, dementia, memory loss), and someone shows that they have a research-backed solution, then the next logical step is to buy the product. Of course!

And this is the aim of this AI deepfake: sell a dietary supplement claiming to improve memory and help protect the brain against AD.

Steve Martin and Bill Gates are easy victims of identify theft, as is Chris Hemsworth. Lots of video and audio. Chris Hemsworth, who took the leap and did some genetic testing, revealed that he is at greater risk for AD. So using his image for the ad was credible. But apparently not legit:

Samuel L. Jackson does such a poor acting job that you know he isn’t actually saying those lines. This is another AI deepfake.

If the entire story is fabricated, do you want to take the risk on the supplement?

After all, why go to all this trouble to sell a supplement?

Well, for one, celebrity endorsements are costly. As are true product development and testing processes.

This marketing website, set up like so many others in the health supplement space, follows the video with an image of the product, testimonials from “actual” buyers, and scientific references.

In this iteration of the video, the product is Memocept. Memocept is a dietary supplement developed to improve brain health in general and memory in particular. Yet an updated website shows the new product is Neuro Serge (interesting spelling). It was at one point also MemoPryl.

Another clue this is a sketchy site: you can’t buy from the sales page!

Let’s take a look at the finer details.

Most marketing sites like this one do offer published scientific studies about the situation — either the problem or the solution. This one does, too! So let’s look at the list of scientific references listed in fine print at the bottom of the page.

References:

1. The Role of Ginkgo Biloba in Cognitive Function and Memory Enhancement” – Mix JA, Crews WD Jr. (Human Psychopharmacology, 2000)

2. “Phosphatidylserine Supplementation: Its Impact on Memory and Cognitive Function” – Jorissen BL, et al. (Nutrition, 2001)

3. “N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine: Clinical Evidence for Its Benefits in Cognitive Health and Memory” – Montgomery SA, et al. (International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2003)

4. “The Role of L-Glutamine in Supporting Cognitive Function and Brain Health” – Newsholme P, et al. (Brain Research Reviews, 2003)

5. “L-Glutamine’s Role in Supporting Neurotransmitter Synthesis and Cognitive Health” – Häberle J, et al. (Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 2011)
6. “The Potential of Phosphatidylserine in Treating Memory Impairment” – Zanotta D, et al. (Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 2014)

7. “The Neuroprotective Effects of Ginkgo Biloba on Cognitive Decline” – Yang G, et al. (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2016)

8. “Phosphatidylserine and Its Potential in Treating Cognitive Decline” – Richter Y, et al. (Advances in Therapy, 2013)

9. “Alpha Glycerophosphorylcholine (Alpha-GPC) and Its Effectiveness in Improving Memory and Learning” – De Jesus Moreno Moreno M (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2003)

10. “Bacopa Monnieri and Its Cognitive Benefits in the Aging Brain” – Calabrese C, et al. (Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2008)

What am I looking at?

Glad you asked! These are studied compounds that show true benefits to cognition over time. Here’s the short list:

Ginkgo Biloba
Bacopa
Phosphatidylserine
L-Glutamine
N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Alpha Glycerophosphorylcholine (Alpha-GPC)

Natural compounds and two herbs. Thanks to an online review of Memocept by “Dr. Durst” , we have an image of the back of the bottle:

Memocept product label per Dr. Durst, potential AI deepfake

I don’t see any Gingko Biloba or Bacopa, do you? Or any of the other compounds, for that matter.

Unfortunately, Dr. Durst looks like another AI deepfake. While Dr. Durst does exist, even a David Durst, there’s literally no information about this doctor’s practice on the website. No image, no phone number, no licensing state. Just glowing reviews of this and other shady supplements. And that is the entirety of the website.

If you haven’t seen an AI doc yet, well, take a look! There are at least a few circulating online. (Dr. John Valentine is another.)

The Bottom Line?

There is no Ancient Himalayan Honey Trick.

Instead, organic whole foods, superfoods, superherbs, and medicinal mushrooms are the way to go — for Alzheimer’s Disease or any health concern.

There are integrative and functional medical doctors willing to work on the root causes of disease.

And there are trusted voices in the health and wellness community who have been out in front with cutting-edge research for decades.

Check out the Vintage David Wolfe Longevity Now Program from 2010 for an example.

Be on the lookout for the AI deepfake! Rather, rely on people you can see and hear and talk to. Rely on those who have worked hard for decades as honest traders of information.

It’s rewarding and enlightening to take the journey into personalized health, doing your own research.

And as the age-old adage says: if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.