Unmasking Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Synthetic graphics purporting to show Nicolás Maduro in custody following his capture by the US have garnered tens of millions of impressions across the internet.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Soon After
The first inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly displaying him taken off a plane emerged within hours. This image was absent from any verified American sources; it was instead published on X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, determining the picture was created or altered with generative AI.
Additional AI-generated pictures began to spread in the following hours, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader in custody. Discernible watermarks on these images indicate they originated from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
AI analysis confirms all of these images were also produced using generative models.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president released the first real photo of Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was made public, synthetic pictures persisted online but were modified to incorporate the grey athletic wear worn by Maduro.
Digital forensics show these altered fabrications were initially shared on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Once again, analysis says these subsequent pictures were generated or edited Google AI.
Key Points:
- AI-generated content circulated quickly after the announcement of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated image was shared on the same day on social media.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the pictures as synthetic.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve even after the publication of real photographs.
- The source of several fabricated images was linked to specific online accounts dedicated to graphic design.
