Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated graphics purporting to show Venezuela's president in custody after his apprehension by the US have amassed tens of millions of impressions across the internet.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Soon After
Initial inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly showing him led off a plane surfaced within hours. This image was not shared any authoritative American sources; it was instead uploaded on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, determining the image was produced or modified with Google AI.
More synthetic visuals were disseminated in the subsequent hours, appearing to show additional perspectives of Maduro under guard. Discernible logos on the graphics show they came from an Instagram account named ultravfx.
The detection tool says the further images were also generated or edited Google AI.
Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Persisted
Donald Trump posted the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. Yet following this confirmation was released, AI-generated pictures persisted online but were altered to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal these updated fakes were initially shared on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says these subsequent pictures were produced with generative artificial intelligence.
Key Points:
- AI-generated content circulated quickly after the news of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the pictures as inauthentic.
- Fabrications continued to circulate and evolve despite the publication of real photographs.
- The source of many fakes was traced to social media accounts dedicated to graphic design.
