Unmasking Venezuelan Victory Footage and AI Images of Nicolás Maduro.

Computer-created graphics purporting to show Venezuela's president detained following his apprehension by the United States have amassed many millions of views on social media.

The Way AI Images of Maduro Surfaced Soon After

Initial inauthentic AI image seemingly showing him led off a plane surfaced within hours. The graphic was absent from any official US channels; it was instead posted on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.

Verification involved the SynthID tool, determining the image was created or altered with Google AI.

Additional AI-generated visuals started circulating in the ensuing hours, purporting to present more angles of Maduro detained. Discernible watermarks on these pictures show they were posted by an Instagram account named ultravfx.

The detection tool says all of these pictures were similarly produced using generative models.

Authentic Image Released but Fakes Persisted

The former US president posted the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after this real photo was made public, AI-generated images continued to spread but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.

Online investigation indicate the new fake images were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design account. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector found the new graphics were generated or edited Google AI.

Main Takeaways:

• Deepfakes gained traction after the announcement of Maduro's capture.
• The first fake picture was shared on the same day on social media.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as AI-generated.
• Fabrications continued to spread and be updated even after the release of authentic photographs.
• The origin of many fakes was traced to social media accounts dedicated to graphic design.