Exposing Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI-Generated Pictures of Nicolás Maduro.

AI-generated pictures claiming to depict Nicolás Maduro in custody after his capture by the United States have garnered many millions of impressions on social media.

The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Rapidly

The first fabricated synthetic picture seemingly displaying him being escorted off a plane circulated within hours. This image was absent from any authoritative US channels; it was instead posted on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.

Our analysis used an AI-watermark detector, determining the picture was created or altered with generative AI.

More AI-generated pictures began to spread in the following period, purporting to present more angles of Maduro detained. Noticeable logos on the graphics show they were posted by an Instagram account called ultravfx.

SynthID says all of these images were likewise generated or edited generative models.

Real Photo Released but Fakes Continued

The former US president posted the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. But even after this confirmation was released, AI-generated images continued to spread but were updated to include the grey athletic wear worn by Maduro.

Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were originally uploaded on the video platform by a graphic design account. Again, SynthID confirms these further images were generated or edited generative artificial intelligence.

Key Points:

• Deepfakes gained traction following the news of the president's apprehension.
• The first fake picture appeared on the same day on social media.
• Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to verify the images as AI-generated.
• Fake images continued to spread and be updated despite the release of real photographs.
• The origin of several fakes was linked to specific online profiles focused on graphic design.