🔗 Share this article Debunking Venezuelan Celebration Videos and AI Images of Maduro. AI-generated graphics claiming to depict Nicolás Maduro under arrest following his apprehension by the United States have garnered many millions of impressions on social media. How Fake Pictures of Maduro Surfaced Soon After Initial fake synthetic picture seemingly showing him led off a plane emerged within hours. The graphic was absent from any verified government accounts; it was instead uploaded on the platform X by an profile purporting to be an “AI video art enthusiast”. We’ve checked Google’s SynthID, which found the picture was generated or edited with generative AI. Further AI-generated images began to spread in the subsequent hours, appearing to show different views of the leader detained. Visible logos on these pictures indicate they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx. The detection tool confirms these additional pictures were likewise produced using AI technology. Real Photo Posted but Fabrications Continued Donald Trump shared the genuine photograph of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. Yet following this confirmation was published, synthetic pictures continued to spread but were updated to show the grey tracksuit worn by Maduro. Reverse image searches show the new fake images were initially shared on the video platform by a digital art account. Again, SynthID confirms the new graphics were generated or edited AI tools. Key Points: Synthetic media spread rapidly after the events of the president's apprehension. The first fake picture was shared within hours on social media. Tools like Google’s SynthID helped to confirm the pictures as inauthentic. Fabrications persisted to spread and be updated even after the publication of authentic images. The source of several fabricated images was linked to social media accounts dedicated to AI art.