Debunking Venezuelan Celebration Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated graphics claiming to show Nicolás Maduro in custody after his apprehension by the US have amassed tens of millions of impressions online.
How Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Soon After
The first fabricated synthetic picture apparently displaying him led off a plane surfaced within hours. The graphic was not shared any verified US channels; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, determining the image was created or altered with AI tools.
Additional AI-generated images started circulating in the following hours, purporting to present additional perspectives of Maduro under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on the graphics show they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
The detection tool says these additional pictures were likewise created or altered Google AI.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following the authentic image was made public, synthetic images kept circulating but were modified to include the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal these updated fakes were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Again, analysis found these further images were produced with generative artificial intelligence.
Important Facts:
- Deepfakes circulated quickly after the announcement of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake picture appeared within hours on social media.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors were used to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
- Fake images continued to spread and evolve despite the release of real images.
- The source of several fakes was linked to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.
