Exposing Venezuela Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
AI-generated pictures claiming to depict Nicolás Maduro detained following his capture by the American authorities have gained tens of millions of impressions across the internet.
How AI Images of Maduro Appeared Within Hours
The first fake AI image apparently showing him led off a aircraft emerged shortly after. The graphic was unpublished by any official American sources; it was instead posted on X by an profile purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used Google’s SynthID, determining the image was created or altered with generative AI.
More synthetic visuals began to spread in the ensuing hours, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader under guard. Visible identifying marks on these images show they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
SynthID says the further images were similarly produced using Google AI.
Authentic Image Released but Fabrications Persisted
Donald Trump released the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following this real photo was published, AI-generated images continued to spread but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches show these updated fakes were initially shared on TikTok by a digital art account. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were produced with Google AI.
Key Points:
- Synthetic media circulated quickly following the events of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared within hours on platform X.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
- Fake images continued to circulate and be updated even after the release of real images.
- The source of several fabricated images was traced to specific online accounts dedicated to graphic design.
