Exposing Venezuela Victory Footage and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
Synthetic graphics claiming to depict Nicolás Maduro under arrest after his capture by the US have amassed tens of millions of views across the internet.
The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Appeared Soon After
Initial fake synthetic picture apparently showing him taken off a plane circulated a brief time later. The graphic was not shared any verified government accounts; rather, it was uploaded on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, confirming the image was generated or edited with Google AI.
More synthetic visuals were disseminated in the following hours, purporting to present more angles of the leader detained. Discernible logos on the graphics indicate they were posted by an Instagram account called ultravfx.
SynthID says all of these images were also created or altered Google AI.
Real Photo Released but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president posted the genuine photograph of Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. But even after this confirmation was published, AI-generated pictures persisted online but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Online investigation reveal these updated fakes were initially shared on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, SynthID found these subsequent pictures were created or altered AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media spread rapidly following the announcement of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake image appeared very quickly on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the images as synthetic.
- Fabrications persisted to spread and evolve despite the publication of real photographs.
- The origin of many fakes was traced to specific online profiles focused on AI art.
