Personal injury lawyers use AI to create fake but convincing news ads targeting victims

Personal injury lawyers are using artificial intelligence to create fake newscasts and testimonials in advertisements, blurring the line between legitimate journalism and marketing. The trend has accelerated with the recent launch of powerful AI video tools from Meta and OpenAI, making it easier and cheaper for companies to generate convincing synthetic content that can mislead consumers about legal services and potential payouts.

The big picture: AI-generated legal ads are becoming increasingly sophisticated, featuring fake news anchors, fabricated victims holding oversized checks, and synthetic influencers promoting legal services as if they were genuine news stories.

Key details: Companies like Case Connect AI are pioneering this approach, using AI to create sponsored commercials on YouTube Shorts and Facebook that target accident victims.

• Case Connect runs ads featuring AI-generated news anchors and testimonials from made-up people, sometimes using Google’s Veo 3 model to create videos.
• The Pennsylvania-based company generates leads for law firms and receives compensation through flat fees or monthly retainers.
• In September, at least half a dozen YouTube Short ads by Case Connect featured AI-generated news anchors or fake testimonials.

How the technology works: New AI video tools are making synthetic content creation accessible to almost anyone.

• Meta recently launched Vibes, a dedicated app for creating and sharing short-form AI-generated videos.
• OpenAI released its Sora app with a “Cameo” feature that lets users insert their own image or a friend’s into photo-realistic AI videos.
• The videos take seconds to make, and Sora has risen to the top of App Store download rankings since launching.

Why this matters: The synthetic content is testing legal and ethical boundaries in advertising while potentially misleading consumers about real outcomes.

• Personal injury law represents an estimated $61 billion market in the U.S., with Los Angeles as one of the biggest hubs.
• Law ads can dramatize but aren’t allowed to promise specific results or payouts.
• “Someone might see that and think that it’s real, oh, that person actually got paid that amount of money. This is actually on like news, when that may not be the case,” said Samuel Hyams-Millard, an associate at law firm SheppardMullin.

The broader impact: AI-generated deceptive content is becoming a widespread problem across platforms and industries.

• YouTube deleted hundreds of AI-generated videos featuring celebrities promoting Medicare scams.
• Spotify removed millions of AI-generated music tracks.
• The FBI estimates Americans have lost $50 billion to deepfake scams since 2020.

What they’re saying: Industry experts and lawyers are calling for better regulations and guardrails.

• “Online ads for both goods and services are using AI-generated humans and AI replicas of influencers to promote their brand without disclosing the synthetic nature of the people represented,” said Alexios Mantzarlis, director of trust, safety and security at Cornell Tech.
• Angelo Perone, founder of Case Connect, defended his company’s practices: “We’re navigating this space just like everybody else — trying to do it responsibly while still being effective.”
• Trial lawyer Robert Simon called some Case Connect ads “egregious” and is helping draft Senate Bill 37 to address deceptive legal advertising.