Spaghetti faces + deepfakes: how healthcare marketers can use AI video responsibly

Spaghetti faces + deepfakes: how healthcare marketers can use AI video responsibly

By Sarah Mattacola

Artificial intelligence (AI) video tools are transforming how healthcare brands create, communicate, and connect. From generating explainer videos to personalizing patient education content, AI video offers speed, flexibility, and creativity that once required large production budgets.

But in healthcare, where credibility and sensitivity are paramount, marketers must use this technology responsibly. Done right, AI video can help your organization stand out—without compromising trust.

But in healthcare, where credibility and sensitivity are paramount, marketers must use this technology responsibly. Done right, AI video can help your organization stand out—without compromising trust.

When AI feels a little too real

I recently came across an article (okay, a TikTok) where a man was discussing how realistic AI-generated video has become—especially with the release of Sora 2 from OpenAI. He was making some good points about how it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. I was listening intently… until his face suddenly exploded into spaghetti.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I’m a millennial—I’m not supposed to be duped by AI like my boomer parents, right? But that moment hit me: with every new update, it’s getting harder to distinguish real from synthetic. And that’s not just unsettling as a consumer—it’s a real concern for us as healthcare marketers.

When patients already face an overload of misinformation online, the line between “authentic” and “AI” in marketing content becomes more important than ever.

• Protect accuracy + context: In healthcare, accuracy isn’t optional. Whether you’re explaining a treatment pathway or highlighting a provider’s expertise, AI-generated videos must depict information and visuals that are medically correct and contextually appropriate.
  • Pro tip: Avoid AI avatars or animations showing medical procedures or anatomy unless verified by a licensed professional. Instead, use AI video to illustrate abstract concepts—like innovation, data-driven care, or care coordination—where the risk of inaccuracy is lower.
    
• Maintain human connection: Healthcare marketing depends on empathy. While AI avatars and voiceovers can make content creation efficient, overreliance on synthetic personas can erode the human element that patients and providers value most.
  • Pro tip: Use AI video as a storytelling enhancer—not a human replacement. Combine AI visuals with real clinician interviews, authentic testimonials, or voiceovers from actual staff to preserve emotional connection.
    
• Uphold diversity + representation: AI models are trained on massive datasets that may reflect bias. Without intervention, this can result in videos that underrepresent certain populations or perpetuate stereotypes. In a field committed to equity and inclusion, healthcare marketers must consciously counteract this.
  • Pro tip: When prompting AI video tools, specify diverse demographics, roles, and settings. Review every video for balanced, inclusive representation across race, age, gender, and ability.
    
• Be transparent + ethical: Transparency builds trust. If a video includes AI-generated scenes, avatars, or voices, consider acknowledging it—especially in educational or thought leadership contexts. Misleading viewers into thinking synthetic personas are real clinicians can quickly damage credibility.
  • Pro tip: Develop an internal AI disclosure policy for your marketing content, clarifying when AI tools are used and how the final outputs are reviewed for accuracy and ethics.
    

The bottom line

AI video is unlocking new possibilities in healthcare marketing—from faster content production to creative storytelling. But in a trust-driven industry, how you use it matters as much as what you create.

By prioritizing accuracy, empathy, diversity, and transparency, healthcare marketers can embrace AI video responsibly—enhancing communication without sacrificing credibility.

And the next time you see a video of an elderly woman feeding a bear in her backyard, resist the urge to comment “He’s so gentle!” and take a second to wonder if it might just be an AI-generated masterpiece.