Exposing Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
AI-generated pictures purporting to portray Nicolás Maduro detained after his capture by the US have garnered tens of millions of impressions across the internet.
How AI Images of the President Surfaced Rapidly
The first fabricated synthetic picture seemingly showing him led off a plane circulated shortly after. This image was unpublished by any authoritative US channels; it was instead uploaded on the platform X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Verification involved the SynthID tool, which found the image was generated or edited with AI tools.
More synthetic images started circulating in the following period, appearing to show more angles of the leader under guard. Discernible identifying marks on these images show they were posted by an Instagram account named ultravfx.
AI analysis indicates all of these images were likewise generated or edited AI technology.
Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Continued
Donald Trump shared the initial authentic image of Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. Yet following the authentic image was released, AI-generated pictures persisted online but were altered to incorporate the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Digital forensics reveal these altered fabrications were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art account. Again, analysis confirms these subsequent pictures were generated or edited AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Deepfakes gained traction following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated image was shared very quickly on platform X.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID were used to verify the pictures as synthetic.
- Fabrications continued to spread and be updated despite the publication of authentic images.
- The origin of several fabricated images was traced to specific online profiles dedicated to graphic design.
