Unmasking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Synthetic graphics purporting to portray Venezuela's president under arrest following his apprehension by the United States have amassed many millions of views on social media.
The Way AI Images of the President Surfaced Soon After
The first inauthentic AI image seemingly showing him taken off a plane circulated a brief time later. The picture was absent from any authoritative US channels; it was instead published on X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Verification involved Google’s SynthID, which found the picture was created or altered with generative AI.
Further AI-generated images were disseminated in the ensuing hours, appearing to show more angles of the leader under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on these pictures indicate they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
The detection tool says these additional pictures were likewise created or altered AI technology.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Continued
The former US president shared the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. However, despite this confirmation was published, synthetic images kept circulating but were altered to show the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.
Online investigation show these altered fabrications were originally uploaded on TikTok by a digital art profile. Again, analysis found these further images were produced with AI tools.
Important Facts:
- Deepfakes circulated quickly after the events of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared very quickly on social media.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID were used to identify the pictures as synthetic.
- Fabrications continued to spread and evolve even after the publication of authentic images.
- The source of several fabricated images was linked to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.
