Debunking Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
Synthetic pictures claiming to depict Venezuela's president under arrest after his capture by the US have gained countless of views online.
The Way AI Images of the President Emerged Rapidly
Initial inauthentic synthetic picture apparently displaying him led off a plane surfaced shortly after. The graphic was absent from any official US channels; rather, it was published on X by an account purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, confirming the image was produced or modified with AI tools.
Additional synthetic visuals started circulating in the following hours, purporting to present more angles of Maduro in custody. Discernible watermarks on these pictures show they originated from an Instagram account named ultravfx.
SynthID confirms the further images were likewise produced using Google AI.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump released the genuine photograph of Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after this confirmation was published, AI-generated images persisted online but were updated to show the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches show these altered fabrications were initially shared on the video platform by a graphic design account. Similarly, SynthID confirms these further images were created or altered Google AI.
Key Points:
- Synthetic media spread rapidly after the events of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated image was shared within hours on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the images as inauthentic.
- Fake images continued to spread and evolve even after the release of authentic images.
- The origin of several fakes was traced to specific online profiles dedicated to AI art.
