Unmasking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Computer-created images claiming to portray Nicolás Maduro under arrest following his capture by the American authorities have amassed countless of impressions across the internet.
The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Within Hours
Initial fabricated synthetic picture apparently showing him being escorted off a plane emerged shortly after. This image was unpublished by any authoritative American sources; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, confirming the picture was produced or modified with Google AI.
More synthetic pictures started circulating in the subsequent hours, seemingly depicting additional perspectives of the leader in custody. Visible watermarks on these images indicate they were posted by an Instagram account named ultravfx.
AI analysis says all of these images were also generated or edited generative models.
Real Photo Released but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump released the initial authentic image of Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. Yet following this real photo was released, synthetic pictures persisted online but were altered to include the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Digital forensics reveal these updated fakes were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says these subsequent pictures were produced with AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Synthetic media circulated quickly following the announcement of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated image was shared very quickly on platform X.
- Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
- Fabrications continued to spread and be updated even after the release of real photographs.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online accounts focused on AI art.
