Unmasking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.

Synthetic images purporting to depict Venezuela's president in custody following his apprehension by the United States have gained countless of views across the internet.

How Fake Pictures of Maduro Emerged Rapidly

The first fake AI image apparently showing him taken off a plane emerged within hours. This image was unpublished by any official US channels; rather, it was posted on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.

We’ve checked the SynthID tool, which found the picture was created or altered with generative AI.

Additional AI-generated images were disseminated in the ensuing period, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader in custody. Discernible watermarks on these images indicate they came from an Instagram account called ultravfx.

The detection tool confirms the further images were similarly generated or edited generative models.

Real Photo Released but Fakes Persisted

The former US president released the initial authentic image of Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after this confirmation was published, synthetic images continued to spread but were updated to show the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.

Digital forensics show these updated fakes were first posted on TikTok by a graphic design account. Once again, the AI-watermark detector found the new graphics were created or altered Google AI.

Important Facts:

• Synthetic media circulated quickly following the announcement of the president's apprehension.
• The initial fabricated image was shared within hours on platform X.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the pictures as inauthentic.
• Fake images continued to circulate and evolve despite the release of authentic photographs.
• The origin of many fabricated images was traced to social media accounts dedicated to graphic design.