Unmasking Venezuela Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Synthetic graphics purporting to portray Venezuela's president detained after his apprehension by the United States have amassed tens of millions of views on social media.
How AI Images of the President Emerged Within Hours
Initial fake synthetic picture seemingly displaying him led off a aircraft surfaced a brief time later. The picture was unpublished by any official government accounts; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Our analysis used an AI-watermark detector, confirming the picture was produced or modified with generative AI.
Additional synthetic images were disseminated in the ensuing hours, appearing to show additional perspectives of the leader under guard. Discernible watermarks on these images indicate they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
AI analysis indicates all of these pictures were also created or altered AI technology.
Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after this real photo was released, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were altered to show the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches reveal these updated fakes were initially shared on TikTok by a digital art profile. Again, SynthID says these further images were created or altered Google AI.
Key Points:
- AI-generated content gained traction following the news of the president's apprehension.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared within hours on social media.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the pictures as AI-generated.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and be updated even after the publication of authentic images.
- The origin of many fakes was linked to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.
