Unmasking Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
AI-generated images purporting to show Venezuela's president in custody following his apprehension by the American authorities have garnered countless of views online.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Appeared Within Hours
Initial fabricated AI image seemingly showing him being escorted off a aircraft circulated shortly after. This image was unpublished by any official US channels; rather, it was posted on X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, which found the image was generated or edited with generative AI.
Further AI-generated images started circulating in the following hours, appearing to show different views of Maduro in custody. Noticeable identifying marks on these pictures indicate they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
The detection tool indicates the further images were also produced using AI technology.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Persisted
The former US president posted the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. But even after this real photo was released, AI-generated pictures persisted online but were modified to include the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Online investigation reveal the new fake images were first posted on TikTok by a digital art profile. Once again, analysis says these subsequent pictures were produced with AI tools.
Important Facts:
- AI-generated content spread rapidly following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake image appeared within hours on social media.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID were used to confirm the images as AI-generated.
- Fake images continued to spread and be updated even after the publication of authentic images.
- The source of several fabricated images was traced to specific online accounts dedicated to AI art.
