ð Share this article Debunking Venezuela Victory Footage and AI Images of Maduro. Computer-created pictures claiming to portray Venezuela's president under arrest following his apprehension by the United States have gained many millions of impressions online. How AI Images of Maduro Surfaced Rapidly The first fabricated synthetic picture apparently showing him taken off a plane emerged a brief time later. The picture was absent from any authoritative American sources; it was instead published on the platform X by an profile describing itself as an âenthusiast of AI-generated artâ. Our analysis used Googleâs SynthID, which found the picture was generated or edited with AI tools. More synthetic visuals were disseminated in the subsequent period, purporting to present different views of the leader detained. Noticeable identifying marks on the graphics show they originated from an Instagram account named ultravfx. SynthID says these additional images were also produced using AI technology. Real Photo Released but Fabrications Continued The former US president posted the first real photo of NicolÃĄs Maduro in handcuffs aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was made public, synthetic pictures persisted online but were altered to incorporate the gray sweatsuit seen on Maduro. Digital forensics reveal the new fake images were first posted on the video platform by a graphic design account. Again, the AI-watermark detector found these further images were produced with Google AI. Important Facts: AI-generated content circulated quickly after the events of Maduro's capture. The initial fabricated picture was shared within hours on social media. Tools like Googleâs SynthID helped to identify the pictures as AI-generated. Fabrications continued to spread and be updated even after the release of real photographs. The source of many fabricated images was traced to social media profiles focused on graphic design.