Exposing Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
AI-generated pictures purporting to portray Venezuela's president detained following his apprehension by the US have amassed countless of views online.
The Way AI Images of Maduro Emerged Soon After
The first inauthentic AI image apparently displaying him led off a aircraft emerged within hours. The graphic was unpublished by any verified government accounts; rather, it was posted on X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, determining the image was produced or modified with generative AI.
Further synthetic images started circulating in the subsequent period, appearing to show different views of Maduro detained. Visible identifying marks on these images show they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.
The detection tool confirms all of these images were similarly generated or edited AI technology.
Real Photo Released but Fakes Persisted
The former US president shared the genuine photograph of Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was released, AI-generated images continued to spread but were updated to include the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Online investigation indicate these altered fabrications were initially shared on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says the new graphics were created or altered Google AI.
Important Facts:
- AI-generated content gained traction after the news of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake picture was shared very quickly on platform X.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the pictures as inauthentic.
- Fabrications continued to circulate and be updated despite the publication of real photographs.
- The source of many fakes was traced to social media accounts dedicated to graphic design.
