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Computer-created graphics purporting to depict Nicolás Maduro in custody following his apprehension by the United States have garnered tens of millions of impressions on social media.

How Fake Pictures of the President Appeared Within Hours

The first inauthentic AI image seemingly displaying him being escorted off a plane circulated shortly after. The graphic was absent from any authoritative American sources; rather, it was published on the platform X by an account purporting to be an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”.

We’ve checked an AI-watermark detector, confirming the image was produced or modified with generative AI.

Additional AI-generated images began to spread in the ensuing hours, seemingly depicting additional perspectives of the leader under guard. Noticeable watermarks on these pictures reveal they were posted by an Instagram profile named ultravfx.

AI analysis confirms the further images were likewise produced using generative models.

Real Photo Released but Fakes Persisted

The former US president shared the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro restrained aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday morning. Yet following this confirmation was published, synthetic images persisted online but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro.

Reverse image searches indicate these updated fakes were first posted on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, SynthID says these further images were produced with generative artificial intelligence.

Important Facts:

• AI-generated content spread rapidly after the news of Maduro's capture.
• The initial fabricated picture appeared very quickly on platform X.
• Detection software like AI-watermark detectors helped to confirm the pictures as AI-generated.
• Fabrications persisted to spread and be updated even after the publication of real photographs.
• The origin of several fabricated images was traced to specific online accounts focused on AI art.