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Computer-created graphics purporting to portray Venezuela's president under arrest after his capture by the American authorities have amassed tens of millions of impressions across the internet.

The Way Fake Pictures of the President Surfaced Within Hours

Initial fabricated synthetic picture seemingly showing him being escorted off a aircraft surfaced shortly after. The graphic was unpublished by any verified government accounts; it was instead posted on X by an account describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.

Our analysis used Google’s SynthID, confirming the picture was generated or edited with generative AI.

Additional AI-generated visuals were disseminated in the subsequent hours, appearing to show more angles of the leader detained. Noticeable identifying marks on these images show they came from an Instagram account named ultravfx.

The detection tool confirms all of these pictures were similarly generated or edited generative models.

Real Photo Posted but Fakes Continued

The former US president posted the genuine photograph of Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. However, despite this confirmation was made public, AI-generated pictures kept circulating but were altered to show the gray sweatsuit worn by Maduro.

Online investigation indicate these altered fabrications were initially shared on TikTok by a graphic design profile. Again, analysis says the new graphics were generated or edited AI tools.

Important Facts:

• AI-generated content spread rapidly following the announcement of the president's apprehension.
• The first fake picture was shared within hours on platform X.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID helped to identify the images as inauthentic.
• Fake images continued to circulate and evolve despite the publication of real photographs.
• The origin of several fakes was traced to social media accounts dedicated to AI art.