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Synthetic graphics claiming to show Venezuela's president under arrest after his capture by the American authorities have gained tens of millions of impressions across the internet.

How Fake Pictures of Maduro Emerged Within Hours

Initial inauthentic AI image apparently displaying him taken off a aircraft emerged shortly after. The picture was not shared any official government accounts; rather, it was published on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.

We’ve checked an AI-watermark detector, determining the picture was created or altered with generative AI.

Additional AI-generated images began to spread in the ensuing hours, appearing to show more angles of Maduro detained. Visible identifying marks on these images show they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.

SynthID indicates the further pictures were similarly created or altered Google AI.

Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Persisted

The former US president posted the genuine photograph of Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. Yet following this confirmation was made public, AI-generated images continued to spread but were altered to show the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.

Reverse image searches show the new fake images were originally uploaded on TikTok by a digital art profile. Similarly, analysis confirms these subsequent pictures were generated or edited generative artificial intelligence.

Main Takeaways:

• AI-generated content gained traction after the events of the president's apprehension.
• The first fake image appeared on the same day on platform X.
• Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the images as synthetic.
• Fabrications continued to spread and be updated even after the release of real images.
• The origin of several fakes was linked to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.