Debunking Venezuelan Victory Videos and AI Images of Maduro.

Computer-created pictures purporting to portray Nicolás Maduro detained after his capture by the American authorities have amassed tens of millions of views on social media.

How Fake Pictures of Maduro Appeared Within Hours

The first fabricated synthetic picture apparently displaying him taken off a plane emerged a brief time later. This image was not shared any official US channels; it was instead posted on X by an account describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.

Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, determining the image was generated or edited with generative AI.

More AI-generated visuals started circulating in the ensuing hours, appearing to show additional perspectives of the leader detained. Visible logos on these pictures reveal they came from an Instagram account named ultravfx.

AI analysis says these additional images were also generated or edited generative models.

Real Photo Released but Fabrications Persisted

The former US president shared the initial authentic image of Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was made public, synthetic images persisted online but were altered to include the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro.

Online investigation indicate the new fake images were first posted on the video platform by a digital art profile. Similarly, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were produced with Google AI.

Important Facts:

• Deepfakes circulated quickly following the events of the president's apprehension.
• The first fake picture appeared very quickly on platform X.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID were used to identify the images as inauthentic.
• Fabrications persisted to spread and evolve even after the publication of real images.
• The source of several fabricated images was traced to social media profiles focused on graphic design.