Exposing Venezuela Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.

AI-generated pictures claiming to depict Venezuela's president in custody after his apprehension by the American authorities have gained many millions of views online.

The Way AI Images of Maduro Surfaced Rapidly

Initial fabricated AI image seemingly displaying him led off a plane surfaced a brief time later. This image was not shared any official government accounts; rather, it was uploaded on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.

Our analysis used an AI-watermark detector, which found the image was produced or modified with generative AI.

More AI-generated visuals started circulating in the following hours, appearing to show different views of the leader under guard. Noticeable watermarks on these images reveal they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.

SynthID indicates these additional pictures were also generated or edited generative models.

Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Persisted

The former US president shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. But even after the authentic image was published, synthetic images continued to spread but were updated to show the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.

Digital forensics reveal the new fake images were originally uploaded on the video platform by a graphic design account. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says these further images were generated or edited Google AI.

Key Points:

• AI-generated content gained traction after the events of the president's apprehension.
• The initial fabricated picture appeared within hours on social media.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID were used to verify the images as synthetic.
• Fake images persisted to spread and be updated despite the release of real photographs.
• The origin of many fakes was traced to social media profiles dedicated to graphic design.