Social media users are likely familiar with polished fitness videos that promise dramatic body changes in just weeks. These clips showcase sculpted physiques, striking before-and-after photos, and claims that following a simple routine can make you look years younger. The results often seem too good to be true, and in many cases, they are.
A BBC investigation has uncovered misleading fitness advertisements featuring AI-generated characters that violate UK advertising regulations. Many of these ads failed to clearly disclose that the individuals depicted were not real. The goal? To sell subscriptions to fitness apps. How easy is it to distinguish whether the fitness advisor shown actually exists? And does that matter?
Over the past two years, AI content has flooded social media feeds, with videos promoting exercise and online fitness programs becoming increasingly common. Several ads flagged to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) by the BBC featured AI-generated characters claiming to have personally followed workout programs. They also showcased transformations that experts say are scientifically implausible within such short periods. These videos promise users they can change their bodies in weeks, “look 20 years younger,” or “lose 40lb in one month.”
Once users engage with exercise or fitness content, algorithms quickly saturate their feeds with similar material. Prof Andy Miah, an AI expert from the University of Salford, describes the trend as “huge,” noting that people scrolling are drawn in because they are seeking advice. “People are looking for solutions to their health, their fitness, their looks,” he says. “There’s always been an appetite for that kind of content—but now it’s incredibly hard to tell who to believe.” Unlike human influencers, AI characters can produce content endlessly, and users cannot opt out. “You can’t turn [AI content] off,” Prof Miah adds. “It’s impossible to stop your feeds being proliferated with this material.”
While acknowledging the positive aspects of AI, he describes the current regulatory landscape as a “wild west” and warns that some ads could be harmful. “The claims about how quickly you can make gains are completely unrealistic,” he says. “That feeds false hope and creates damaging expectations.”
The BBC contacted the companies behind several problematic ads, but none responded. Many of the advertisements examined by the BBC featured different AI characters but similar messaging. Examples included:
– A podcast-style setup with a fake instructor being interviewed about her workout claiming to make women look “20 years younger” in a month
– A fake army sergeant asserting that the gym doesn’t work and promising “unbelievable” results in weeks by following his military workout
– Three women on a beach discussing their body transformations and showing before-and-after images, none of which were real
– An AI woman giving a fake presentation about how doctors seek her fitness advice, claiming her routine helps people lose 40lb in 28 days, cheered by an AI crowd
On a beach in North Tyneside, fitness instructor David Fairlamb, 54, is leading nearly 40 people of all ages through a group training session. He has worked in the fitness industry for 30 years—long before social media, let alone artificial intelligence. Fairlamb believes AI has a role in fitness programs and nutrition but says it cannot fully replace real-life coaching. “You cannot beat that real person, that real connection, the accountability,” he says. Upon seeing the AI-generated ads that violated advertising rules, his reaction is immediate: “It’s so wrong. It’s so misleading. And it’s so worrying for younger kids.”
