Unmasking Venezuelan Victory Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro.
Computer-created graphics claiming to show Nicolás Maduro in custody following his capture by the United States have gained many millions of impressions online.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Within Hours
Initial fake AI image seemingly showing him being escorted off a aircraft surfaced shortly after. This image was unpublished by any authoritative government accounts; rather, it was published on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
Verification involved the SynthID tool, which found the image was created or altered with AI tools.
More AI-generated pictures started circulating in the ensuing hours, purporting to present additional perspectives of the leader detained. Discernible identifying marks on these pictures reveal they originated from an Instagram account called ultravfx.
The detection tool confirms all of these images were similarly created or altered Google AI.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Persisted
The former US president released the first real photo of Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. But even after this confirmation was made public, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were updated to include the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Online investigation show these updated fakes were originally uploaded on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were generated or edited generative artificial intelligence.
Important Facts:
- Deepfakes circulated quickly following the news of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated picture was shared on the same day on social media.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors were used to verify the pictures as synthetic.
- Fabrications persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of real images.
- The source of many fakes was linked to specific online profiles dedicated to AI art.
