Exposing Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
Computer-created pictures claiming to portray Venezuela's president detained after his capture by the US have garnered many millions of impressions across the internet.
The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Appeared Within Hours
The first fake AI image apparently displaying him being escorted off a aircraft surfaced within hours. This image was absent from any authoritative American sources; it was instead published on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, confirming the image was generated or edited with generative AI.
Further synthetic images started circulating in the subsequent period, seemingly depicting different views of the leader in custody. Discernible watermarks on the graphics show they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
The detection tool indicates the further images were similarly generated or edited generative models.
Real Photo Posted but Fakes Persisted
Donald Trump shared the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following the authentic image was released, AI-generated images continued to spread but were modified to include the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Digital forensics indicate these updated fakes were first posted on TikTok by a digital art profile. Once again, analysis confirms the new graphics were created or altered AI tools.
Important Facts:
- Deepfakes spread rapidly after the events of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake picture was shared very quickly on platform X.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as synthetic.
- Fake images persisted to spread and be updated despite the release of authentic photographs.
- The source of many fakes was traced to specific online profiles dedicated to AI art.
