Unmasking Venezuela Victory Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
Computer-created graphics claiming to show Venezuela's president in custody following his capture by the American authorities have amassed countless of views online.
The Way AI Images of the President Emerged Soon After
The first inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly displaying him being escorted off a aircraft circulated within hours. The picture was not shared any official US channels; rather, it was uploaded on X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, which found the picture was generated or edited with AI tools.
More synthetic pictures began to spread in the subsequent period, appearing to show more angles of Maduro under guard. Visible watermarks on these pictures reveal they were posted by an Instagram account called ultravfx.
SynthID says these additional images were likewise created or altered generative models.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump shared the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following this confirmation was released, synthetic images kept circulating but were updated to include the gray sweatsuit worn by Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal the new fake images were first posted on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector says these subsequent pictures were created or altered AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- AI-generated content gained traction after the news of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake image appeared within hours on social media.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as inauthentic.
- Fabrications persisted to spread and evolve despite the release of real images.
- The origin of many fabricated images was traced to specific online profiles focused on AI art.
