Exposing Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated pictures purporting to depict Nicolás Maduro detained after his capture by the United States have garnered many millions of views on social media.
How AI Images of the President Surfaced Soon After
The first fake AI image seemingly displaying him led off a aircraft circulated shortly after. The picture was absent from any authoritative US channels; it was instead published on X by an profile purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, confirming the picture was generated or edited with generative AI.
Further synthetic visuals started circulating in the ensuing period, appearing to show different views of Maduro detained. Discernible identifying marks on these images reveal they came from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
AI analysis says these additional images were also generated or edited generative models.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Continued
The former US president posted the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following this confirmation was published, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were updated to include the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Online investigation show these altered fabrications were first posted on TikTok by a graphic design account. Again, the AI-watermark detector confirms the new graphics were produced with Google AI.
Important Facts:
- Deepfakes spread rapidly following the events of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake image appeared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID were used to verify the pictures as AI-generated.
- Fake images continued to circulate and be updated even after the release of real photographs.
- The source of several fakes was traced to social media accounts focused on graphic design.
