Unmasking Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Computer-created images purporting to portray Nicolás Maduro in custody after his capture by the US have gained tens of millions of impressions online.
How AI Images of the President Surfaced Rapidly
Initial inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly displaying him led off a aircraft emerged shortly after. The graphic was not shared any official US channels; rather, it was uploaded on X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, determining the image was produced or modified with Google AI.
Further synthetic visuals were disseminated in the following hours, seemingly depicting different views of Maduro under guard. Visible watermarks on these images reveal they came from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.
AI analysis says the further pictures were similarly generated or edited generative models.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump posted the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. However, despite the authentic image was made public, AI-generated pictures continued to spread but were altered to include the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches indicate these altered fabrications were initially shared on TikTok by a graphic design account. Similarly, SynthID confirms these further images were produced with generative artificial intelligence.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media gained traction following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake picture was shared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to verify the images as synthetic.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of real photographs.
- The origin of many fabricated images was traced to specific online profiles focused on graphic design.
