SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) has introduced Senate Bill 1146, a measure sponsored by the California Medical Association (CMA) to crackdown on the growing use of artificial intelligence to create "deepfake" impersonations of physicians. The bill seeks to protect patients from misleading medical advice and fraudulent advertisements that weaponize the trust between doctors and patients.

As artificial intelligence becomes more capable at producing realistic videos, a dangerous new trend has emerged: Scammers are using AI to clone physicians’ likenesses and voices – without their knowledge or consent – to sell unproven supplements and "miracle cures" and dispense baseless medical advice.

“Scammers who use deepfake doctors are exploiting the credibility of the medical profession to trick vulnerable Californians into buying unproven and potentially harmful products,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez. “SB 1146 will put a stop to this deceptive practice and ensure that when patients see a doctor online, they can trust that the person – and their medical advice – is real.”

Recent investigations by major news outlets have highlighted the severity of the crisis. Journalists have documented instances where AI-generated likenesses of prominent physicians were used to market fraudulent weight loss products, chronic pain and diabetes “cures,” and treatments for menopause on social media and e-commerce sites. These scams frequently target the elderly and those with chronic conditions, leading patients to waste money on ineffective products or delay seeking necessary medical care.

“The physician-patient relationship is built on a foundation of trust. When bad actors use AI to steal a doctor's identity to sell and market to vulnerable patients, they are not just committing fraud – they are putting lives at risk,” said CMA President René Bravo, M.D. “Patients should not have to question whether the medical advice they receive is coming from a real doctor or a fake AI version. SB 1146 is a necessary step to restore integrity to health information online and hold scammers accountable.”

SB 1146 establishes clear prohibitions and penalties regarding the use of digital replicas of medical professionals by enacting the following provisions: 

• Requiring an advertisement of a health-related consumer product or service that uses the image, audio, or video of a natural person that is generated or significantly altered using AI, to include a clear and obvious disclosure that the advertisement was generated by AI.
• Empowering the California Attorney General to take enforcement action against fraudulent actors, to ensure physicians and the public at large are safe from unscrupulous actors attempting to use AI to sell unproven and potentially unsafe products.

For more information about SB 1146 please view the bill fact sheet here and the full bill language here.

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Senator Lena Gonzalez proudly represents one million residents in California’s 33rd Senate District, which encompasses Southeast Los Angeles, the City and Port of Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, and Catalina Island. She serves as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and is a dedicated advocate on key priorities that impact Californians from economic development and environmental justice to LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, digital equity and more. Senator Gonzalez has championed major policies, including broadband for all, expanding paid sick leave, advancing clean transportation incentives, and ending neighborhood oil drilling. She lives in Long Beach with her family. To learn more, visit www.sen.ca.gov/gonzalez.

Representing more than 50,000 physicians, the California Medical Association's (CMA) mission is to promote the science and art of medicine, protect public health, better the medical profession, and achieve health equity and justice. For over 165 years, CMA and its component medical societies have represented California’s physicians as the recognized voice of the medical profession. Keeping pace with the changing realities of the practice of medicine and the business of health care, CMA elevates physician voices to ensure that the real-world experience and diverse perspectives of California physicians and patients are heard and the interests of physicians in all practice settings are protected.