The Korea Consumer Agency secured the blocking of 420 deceptive YouTube advertisements using AI during nine months of monitoring. Fabricated personal experiences accounted for most detections, followed by impersonated experts. Food and cosmetics dominated the advertised products. Cooperation with Google enabled removal of identified ads, while the agency warned that testimonials and before-and-after images could be artificially created.
The Korea Consumer Agency, South Korea's consumer-protection body, announced on October 27 that 420 deceptive YouTube advertisements using AI had been blocked. Monitoring covered October 2025 through June. A rapid-response arrangement with Google enabled removal of the identified short-form advertisements.[1], [2]
Fabricated user experiences accounted for 267 ads, or 63.6 per cent of detections. In 171, bodily changes were synthesized or exaggerated; another 96 presented invented testimonials as genuine consumer experiences. Expert impersonation appeared in 153 ads, or 36.4 per cent. These included 46 impersonations of doctors, pharmacists or nurses and 107 involving other specialists.[1]
By product category, 312 ads concerned food, 72 cosmetics and 21 medical services. The remaining 15 covered massage devices, medical devices and other products. In food advertising, 157 used unapproved research or experiences. In cosmetics, 42 used wording that could make a product appear medicinal.[1]
The agency pointed to legal amendments in May prohibiting fake AI-generated experts from recommending foods or cosmetics. It warned consumers that before-and-after images and personal endorsements in social-media advertising can be synthesized. The totals count detected and blocked advertisements across the monitoring period, rather than a representative estimate of all deceptive ads on YouTube.[1]
