Unmasking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated graphics purporting to portray Nicolás Maduro under arrest after his apprehension by the United States have garnered countless of views across the internet.
The Way Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Soon After
Initial fake synthetic picture apparently displaying him led off a plane surfaced a brief time later. The picture was absent from any authoritative US channels; it was instead posted on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Verification involved the SynthID tool, which found the image was created or altered with generative AI.
Additional AI-generated images were disseminated in the following period, purporting to present different views of Maduro detained. Visible watermarks on the graphics indicate they originated from an Instagram account named ultravfx.
SynthID indicates these additional images were likewise generated or edited AI technology.
Real Photo Released but Fakes Continued
The former US president posted the initial authentic image of Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. However, despite the authentic image was made public, AI-generated images kept circulating but were updated to show the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal the new fake images were first posted on TikTok by a digital art profile. Once again, analysis found these further images were produced with generative artificial intelligence.
Important Facts:
- AI-generated content gained traction following the announcement of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake picture appeared on the same day on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the pictures as AI-generated.
- Fake images persisted to spread and be updated even after the release of authentic photographs.
- The source of several fakes was traced to specific online accounts focused on AI art.
