Unmasking Venezuela Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro.
Synthetic graphics purporting to show Nicolás Maduro under arrest following his capture by the United States have gained countless of impressions on social media.
How AI Images of the President Surfaced Within Hours
Initial inauthentic AI image apparently displaying him taken off a plane circulated within hours. This image was not shared any authoritative government accounts; rather, it was published on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.
We’ve checked the SynthID tool, determining the picture was created or altered with generative AI.
Additional synthetic visuals began to spread in the following hours, appearing to show more angles of the leader under guard. Discernible identifying marks on these pictures indicate they were posted by an Instagram account named ultravfx.
SynthID says these additional images were also generated or edited generative models.
Real Photo Posted but Fakes Persisted
Donald Trump shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on Saturday morning. But even after the authentic image was made public, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were altered to incorporate the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Digital forensics reveal the new fake images were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art account. Once again, the AI-watermark detector says the new graphics were produced with AI tools.
Key Points:
- Deepfakes gained traction after the news of Maduro's capture.
- The initial fabricated picture appeared on the same day on platform X.
- Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
- Fake images continued to circulate and evolve even after the publication of authentic images.
- The origin of many fakes was traced to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.
