Exposing Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
Computer-created pictures claiming to show Venezuela's president detained following his apprehension by the United States have gained many millions of views across the internet.
How AI Images of Maduro Surfaced Soon After
Initial fabricated AI image apparently showing him taken off a aircraft circulated a brief time later. The picture was not shared any authoritative government accounts; rather, it was posted on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
We’ve checked an AI-watermark detector, confirming the picture was created or altered with Google AI.
More synthetic images were disseminated in the subsequent period, appearing to show more angles of the leader in custody. Noticeable watermarks on the graphics show they came from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
The detection tool confirms all of these pictures were similarly created or altered generative models.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Continued
Donald Trump released the genuine photograph of Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. But even after the authentic image was published, AI-generated images continued to spread but were updated to include the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Online investigation indicate the new fake images were initially shared on TikTok by a digital art account. Again, SynthID confirms these subsequent pictures were generated or edited Google AI.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media circulated quickly following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared very quickly on social media.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as AI-generated.
- Fabrications persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of authentic images.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online accounts dedicated to graphic design.
