Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
Computer-created pictures purporting to show Nicolás Maduro in custody after his apprehension by the American authorities have garnered tens of millions of views online.
How Fake Pictures of the President Emerged Soon After
Initial inauthentic AI image seemingly displaying him being escorted off a plane surfaced within hours. The graphic was not shared any authoritative US channels; rather, it was uploaded on X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.
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, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader under guard. Discernible identifying marks on these pictures indicate they came from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
SynthID indicates the further images were likewise produced using AI technology.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was released, AI-generated pictures continued to spread but were updated to include the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Digital forensics show these altered fabrications were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Similarly, analysis confirms the new graphics were created or altered AI tools.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes gained traction after the news of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared very quickly on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID were used to identify the pictures as inauthentic.
- Fabrications persisted to circulate and be updated despite the publication of real images.
- The source of many fakes was traced to social media profiles focused on graphic design.
