Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Footage and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
Synthetic graphics purporting to depict Venezuela's president under arrest after his apprehension by the American authorities have garnered tens of millions of impressions online.
The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Within Hours
Initial fake AI image apparently showing him being escorted off a aircraft emerged within hours. The graphic was unpublished by any authoritative US channels; rather, it was uploaded on the platform X by an account describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, confirming the image was created or altered with Google AI.
More synthetic images were disseminated in the subsequent hours, appearing to show different views of Maduro under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on these images reveal they originated from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
The detection tool confirms the further pictures were also created or altered AI technology.
Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Persisted
The former US president posted the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. But even after this real photo was released, AI-generated images kept circulating but were updated to include the gray sweatsuit worn by Maduro.
Reverse image searches show these updated fakes were initially shared on TikTok by a digital art profile. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector confirms the new graphics were generated or edited Google AI.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes gained traction after the news of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake image appeared very quickly on social media.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as AI-generated.
- Fake images persisted to spread and evolve despite the release of authentic images.
- The origin of several fakes was traced to social media profiles focused on graphic design.
