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AI-generated graphics claiming to show Venezuela's president in custody after his capture by the American authorities have garnered many millions of impressions online.

The Way Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Rapidly

The first inauthentic synthetic picture seemingly showing him taken off a aircraft circulated shortly after. This image was unpublished by any official government accounts; it was instead uploaded on X by an account describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.

Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, determining the picture was created or altered with AI tools.

Further synthetic pictures began to spread in the ensuing hours, appearing to show different views of the leader under guard. Discernible watermarks on the graphics show they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx.

AI analysis indicates all of these pictures were similarly generated or edited AI technology.

Real Photo Posted but Fakes Persisted

The former US president posted the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. However, despite this confirmation was released, AI-generated images continued to spread but were modified to show the grey athletic wear worn by Maduro.

Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art profile. Similarly, SynthID says these subsequent pictures were produced with Google AI.

Important Facts:

• Synthetic media gained traction following the news of the president's apprehension.
• The initial fabricated picture appeared within hours on social media.
• Tools like AI-watermark detectors were used to verify the images as inauthentic.
• Fake images persisted to spread and be updated even after the release of real images.
• The source of many fakes was traced to specific online accounts focused on graphic design.