Unmasking Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
Synthetic pictures claiming to show Nicolás Maduro in custody after his apprehension by the US have gained many millions of views on social media.
The Way AI Images of Maduro Appeared Within Hours
The first inauthentic synthetic picture apparently displaying him led off a plane surfaced shortly after. The picture was unpublished by any official US channels; it was instead posted on the platform X by an account purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, which found the image was generated or edited with Google AI.
More synthetic visuals were disseminated in the following period, appearing to show more angles of the leader detained. Noticeable identifying marks on these images reveal they were posted by an Instagram account named ultravfx.
AI analysis confirms all of these pictures were likewise produced using generative models.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued
The former US president shared the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. Yet following the authentic image was made public, synthetic images continued to spread but were updated to show the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art account. Again, SynthID found the new graphics were produced with Google AI.
Key Points:
- Synthetic media gained traction following the announcement of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake picture was shared within hours on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the images as AI-generated.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and be updated despite the publication of authentic photographs.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online profiles dedicated to AI art.
