Unmasking Venezuela Celebration Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Computer-created images purporting to depict Venezuela's president under arrest after his capture by the US have gained tens of millions of views on social media.
How Fake Pictures of the President Surfaced Within Hours
Initial inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly displaying him being escorted off a plane surfaced a brief time later. This image was not shared any official government accounts; it was instead posted on the platform X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Our analysis used Google’s SynthID, determining the image was produced or modified with Google AI.
Additional synthetic pictures started circulating in the ensuing period, purporting to present more angles of Maduro under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on these pictures reveal they originated from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
AI analysis says all of these pictures were likewise produced using generative models.
Real Photo Released but Fabrications Continued
Donald Trump shared the first real photo of Maduro in handcuffs aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was published, synthetic pictures continued to spread but were altered to incorporate the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Online investigation reveal the new fake images were originally uploaded on the video platform by a digital art account. Again, SynthID confirms the new graphics were created or altered generative artificial intelligence.
Important Facts:
- Synthetic media spread rapidly after the events of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake picture appeared within hours on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the pictures as synthetic.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of authentic images.
- The source of several fabricated images was traced to social media accounts focused on graphic design.