Exposing Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
Computer-created images claiming to portray Nicolás Maduro detained following his capture by the US have amassed tens of millions of impressions online.
How Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Within Hours
Initial fake synthetic picture seemingly displaying him led off a aircraft emerged a brief time later. This image was not shared any official US channels; it was instead uploaded on X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, determining the image was created or altered with generative AI.
Additional AI-generated pictures started circulating in the following hours, seemingly depicting more angles of Maduro detained. Visible logos on these images reveal they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
SynthID indicates all of these images were similarly produced using Google AI.
Real Photo Released but Fakes Continued
The former US president released the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was made public, AI-generated pictures continued to spread but were altered to show the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches indicate these altered fabrications were first posted on the video platform by a digital art account. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says the new graphics were produced with generative artificial intelligence.
Key Points:
- AI-generated content gained traction following the events of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake image was shared on the same day on social media.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID were used to confirm the images as inauthentic.
- Fabrications continued to circulate and evolve despite the publication of authentic images.
- The source of several fakes was traced to specific online profiles focused on AI art.
