Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated images purporting to depict Venezuela's president detained following his apprehension by the United States have amassed countless of impressions on social media.
How AI Images of Maduro Emerged Within Hours
The first fabricated AI image seemingly displaying him led off a plane circulated shortly after. The graphic was unpublished by any authoritative American sources; it was instead posted on the platform X by an account describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used an AI-watermark detector, determining the image was created or altered with AI tools.
Further synthetic images started circulating in the following hours, seemingly depicting more angles of Maduro under guard. Discernible logos on the graphics indicate they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
AI analysis says these additional pictures were likewise generated or edited Google AI.
Authentic Image Posted but Fabrications Persisted
The former US president posted the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was released, AI-generated images kept circulating but were altered to show the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector found these subsequent pictures were produced with Google AI.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes circulated quickly following the news of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated image was shared within hours on platform X.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the pictures as AI-generated.
- Fabrications persisted to spread and evolve even after the release of real photographs.
- The origin of several fakes was linked to specific online accounts dedicated to graphic design.
