Unmasking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Synthetic images purporting to portray Venezuela's president under arrest following his capture by the US have amassed many millions of views online.
How AI Images of the President Surfaced Within Hours
The first fabricated synthetic picture seemingly showing him taken off a aircraft emerged within hours. The graphic was absent from any verified US channels; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Our analysis used the SynthID tool, determining the picture was created or altered with AI tools.
More AI-generated visuals started circulating in the ensuing period, seemingly depicting additional perspectives of Maduro in custody. Noticeable identifying marks on these pictures show they came from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
AI analysis indicates these additional pictures were likewise created or altered Google AI.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued
The former US president released the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. Yet following this real photo was released, synthetic images persisted online but were altered to incorporate the gray sweatsuit worn by Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal the new fake images were originally uploaded on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Similarly, analysis says these further images were produced with AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media circulated quickly following the events of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared very quickly on social media.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the images as AI-generated.
- Fake images continued to circulate and evolve despite the release of authentic images.
- The source of many fakes was traced to social media profiles focused on AI art.
