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Computer-created images purporting to depict Venezuela's president in custody after his capture by the US have amassed countless of impressions online.

How Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Soon After

Initial fake AI image apparently showing him led off a aircraft circulated shortly after. The graphic was absent from any verified American sources; rather, it was uploaded on the platform X by an account purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”.

Verification involved an AI-watermark detector, which found the image was produced or modified with generative AI.

More synthetic pictures started circulating in the ensuing period, purporting to present different views of Maduro detained. Visible logos on these images indicate they originated from an Instagram account named ultravfx.

The detection tool confirms these additional images were likewise produced using generative models.

Authentic Image Released but Fakes Persisted

The former US president released the initial authentic image of Maduro handcuffed aboard the US Navy ship on that morning. But even after this real photo was published, synthetic images continued to spread but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.

Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were originally uploaded on the video platform by a digital art account. Again, analysis says the new graphics were produced with Google AI.

Key Points:

• Deepfakes gained traction after the news of Maduro's capture.
• The initial fabricated image was shared very quickly on platform X.
• Detection software like Google’s SynthID were used to confirm the pictures as synthetic.
• Fabrications continued to spread and evolve despite the publication of authentic images.
• The origin of several fakes was traced to social media accounts focused on AI art.