Exposing Venezuela Victory Videos and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated pictures claiming to depict Venezuela's president detained following his capture by the US have gained countless of impressions across the internet.
The Way AI Images of the President Surfaced Within Hours
Initial inauthentic synthetic picture apparently showing him led off a aircraft surfaced shortly after. This image was not shared any verified US channels; it was instead published on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Verification involved the SynthID tool, confirming the image was generated or edited with AI tools.
More synthetic images were disseminated in the ensuing period, appearing to show additional perspectives of Maduro under guard. Visible identifying marks on these pictures show they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.
SynthID confirms these additional images were also generated or edited AI technology.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president posted the initial authentic image of Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. However, despite this real photo was published, AI-generated images persisted online but were updated to show the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Digital forensics show the new fake images were first posted on the video platform by a graphic design account. Again, analysis found the new graphics were generated or edited AI tools.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes circulated quickly following the announcement of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared within hours on social media.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to verify the images as inauthentic.
- Fake images continued to spread and be updated despite the release of real images.
- The source of many fabricated images was traced to social media profiles dedicated to graphic design.
