Unmasking Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
Computer-created graphics claiming to portray Venezuela's president detained after his capture by the United States have garnered many millions of views across the internet.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Emerged Soon After
The first fabricated synthetic picture seemingly displaying him being escorted off a plane circulated within hours. The picture was not shared any verified American sources; it was instead uploaded on the platform X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, determining the picture was created or altered with generative AI.
More AI-generated visuals began to spread in the subsequent hours, purporting to present different views of Maduro under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on these images show they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.
SynthID confirms all of these images were also generated or edited Google AI.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president shared the initial authentic image of Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. However, despite the authentic image was released, synthetic images kept circulating but were modified to incorporate the grey athletic wear worn by Maduro.
Reverse image searches show these altered fabrications were originally uploaded on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were generated or edited AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media gained traction following the news of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake image was shared on the same day on platform X.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the images as AI-generated.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of authentic images.
- The source of several fakes was linked to social media profiles focused on graphic design.
