Debunking Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.
Synthetic pictures purporting to show Venezuela's president under arrest after his apprehension by the American authorities have garnered tens of millions of views on social media.
How Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Rapidly
Initial fake synthetic picture seemingly showing him taken off a plane surfaced shortly after. The picture was not shared any official US channels; it was instead uploaded on X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.
Our analysis used an AI-watermark detector, which found the image was produced or modified with generative AI.
More AI-generated images began to spread in the following period, purporting to present more angles of Maduro detained. Discernible watermarks on these pictures show they came from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.
AI analysis confirms the further images were similarly generated or edited AI technology.
Authentic Image Released but Fakes Continued
Donald Trump shared the genuine photograph of Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was published, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were modified to incorporate the grey athletic wear seen on Maduro.
Online investigation reveal the new fake images were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design account. Once again, the AI-watermark detector confirms these further images were produced with AI tools.
Main Takeaways:
- Deepfakes gained traction after the events of Maduro's capture.
- The first fake image appeared very quickly on social media.
- Detection software like AI-watermark detectors were used to verify the images as AI-generated.
- Fabrications persisted to spread and be updated even after the publication of real images.
- The origin of several fakes was linked to social media accounts focused on graphic design.
