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The medbed fantasy

How a deepfake pushed a conspiracy into politics

Halina Bennet's avatar
Halina Bennet
Oct 03, 2025
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“Medbeds” are marketed as futuristic healing machines, though no such technology exists in real medicine. (Photo by U.C.G.)

The “medbeds” conspiracy has circulated in fringe online communities for years, but an AI-generated deepfake of President Donald Trump promising a nationwide rollout pushed it into mainstream political conversation this week. Not be…

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