Debunking Venezuela Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Computer-created images claiming to portray Nicolás Maduro detained after his capture by the US have gained countless of impressions online.
The Way AI Images of the President Emerged Within Hours
The first fake synthetic picture seemingly showing him led off a aircraft emerged a brief time later. The picture was absent from any authoritative American sources; rather, it was posted on X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, confirming the picture was produced or modified with AI tools.
Additional synthetic pictures began to spread in the following hours, seemingly depicting additional perspectives of Maduro in custody. Discernible watermarks on these images show they originated from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
AI analysis confirms these additional pictures were also produced using Google AI.
Real Photo Released but Fabrications Continued
The former US president posted the first real photo of Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. Yet following this real photo was made public, synthetic pictures kept circulating but were modified to show the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal the new fake images were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art profile. Again, analysis says these subsequent pictures were generated or edited AI tools.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes spread rapidly following the events of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated image appeared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
- Fabrications continued to circulate and evolve despite the publication of real images.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online accounts dedicated to graphic design.