Exposing Venezuelan Victory Footage and AI Images of Maduro.
Synthetic pictures purporting to depict Venezuela's president in custody after his capture by the US have amassed countless of views across the internet.
The Way AI Images of Maduro Appeared Soon After
The first fake synthetic picture apparently displaying him led off a plane surfaced shortly after. The graphic was absent from any official US channels; it was instead posted on X by an account purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
We’ve checked an AI-watermark detector, confirming the image was produced or modified with AI tools.
More AI-generated visuals started circulating in the ensuing hours, purporting to present more angles of Maduro detained. Visible watermarks on these images indicate they came from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
The detection tool confirms all of these pictures were also created or altered generative models.
Real Photo Posted but Fakes Continued
Donald Trump released the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was released, synthetic images continued to spread but were updated to include the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.
Online investigation indicate these altered fabrications were first posted on the video platform by a digital art profile. Again, analysis confirms these subsequent pictures were produced with Google AI.
Important Facts:
- AI-generated content spread rapidly after the events of the president's apprehension.
- The first fake picture was shared very quickly on social media.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the pictures as inauthentic.
- Fake images continued to circulate and evolve even after the publication of real images.
- The origin of many fakes was linked to social media accounts dedicated to AI art.
