Debunking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
Computer-created images purporting to show Venezuela's president under arrest after his capture by the American authorities have gained countless of impressions across the internet.
How Fake Pictures of the President Surfaced Within Hours
The first fake synthetic picture apparently displaying him being escorted off a aircraft emerged a brief time later. This image was absent from any official American sources; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, which found the image was produced or modified with Google AI.
Additional synthetic visuals were disseminated in the ensuing period, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader detained. Noticeable identifying marks on these pictures show they were posted by an Instagram account called ultravfx.
AI analysis confirms these additional images were similarly produced using generative models.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump posted the first real photo of Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. Yet following this real photo was made public, synthetic pictures continued to spread but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Online investigation indicate these updated fakes were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design account. Again, SynthID found these further images were generated or edited generative artificial intelligence.
Important Facts:
- AI-generated content circulated quickly following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated image was shared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the images as inauthentic.
- Fake images persisted to spread and be updated even after the release of authentic photographs.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online profiles focused on AI art.