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AI-generated images claiming to portray Venezuela's president detained after his capture by the United States have gained many millions of views on social media.

The Way AI Images of Maduro Emerged Rapidly

The first fabricated synthetic picture seemingly showing him taken off a aircraft surfaced within hours. This image was unpublished by any authoritative American sources; it was instead uploaded on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an “AI video art enthusiast”.

We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, determining the image was produced or modified with generative AI.

Additional synthetic pictures began to spread in the following period, purporting to present different views of Maduro under guard. Noticeable identifying marks on these images reveal they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.

SynthID says these additional images were also produced using generative models.

Authentic Image Posted but Fakes Continued

Donald Trump released the first real photo of Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. Yet following this real photo was released, synthetic pictures continued to spread but were altered to show the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro.

Digital forensics indicate these altered fabrications were initially shared on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, the AI-watermark detector found these subsequent pictures were produced with generative artificial intelligence.

Important Facts:

• Synthetic media circulated quickly after the events of Maduro's capture.
• The initial fabricated image was shared very quickly on social media.
• Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the pictures as inauthentic.
• Fabrications continued to circulate and be updated despite the publication of authentic photographs.
• The source of many fakes was traced to specific online profiles dedicated to graphic design.