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Synthetic pictures claiming to depict Venezuela's president in custody following his capture by the US have gained countless of views online.

How AI Images of the President Surfaced Rapidly

Initial fake AI image seemingly displaying him taken off a aircraft surfaced within hours. This image was unpublished by any official government accounts; it was instead posted on X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.

We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, confirming the image was created or altered with Google AI.

More AI-generated images were disseminated in the subsequent hours, appearing to show more angles of Maduro in custody. Visible logos on these pictures reveal they originated from an Instagram profile named ultravfx.

AI analysis says these additional pictures were likewise created or altered generative models.

Real Photo Released but Fabrications Continued

Donald Trump shared the initial authentic image of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. However, despite the authentic image was published, AI-generated images persisted online but were modified to incorporate the gray sweatsuit worn by Maduro.

Digital forensics show the new fake images were originally uploaded on TikTok by a graphic design account. Similarly, analysis says these further images were generated or edited generative artificial intelligence.

Key Points:

• AI-generated content spread rapidly after the events of Maduro's capture.
• The first fake picture appeared within hours on social media.
• Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the images as inauthentic.
• Fake images persisted to circulate and evolve even after the release of real photographs.
• The source of several fakes was traced to social media profiles dedicated to AI art.