Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.
AI-generated images claiming to depict Venezuela's president in custody following his capture by the United States have gained tens of millions of impressions across the internet.
How AI Images of the President Emerged Soon After
Initial inauthentic AI image apparently displaying him taken off a aircraft emerged shortly after. The picture was absent from any verified government accounts; rather, it was published on X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, determining the image was produced or modified with generative AI.
Further synthetic images began to spread in the ensuing period, seemingly depicting more angles of Maduro in custody. Visible identifying marks on the graphics show they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.
The detection tool says the further pictures were similarly created or altered generative models.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Persisted
The former US president shared the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. However, despite this confirmation was made public, synthetic pictures persisted online but were updated to incorporate the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.
Digital forensics reveal the new fake images were first posted on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were generated or edited AI tools.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes spread rapidly after the events of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake image appeared on the same day on social media.
- Tools like AI-watermark detectors were used to verify the images as synthetic.
- Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve despite the publication of real photographs.
- The source of several fabricated images was traced to specific online profiles dedicated to AI art.
