Fake images flood social media platforms after Maduro raid

FROM AI deepfakes to recycled, outdated images, a surge of visual misinformation has inundated social media platforms after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid on his Caracas home.

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Collectively racking up millions of views, the fake or misleading posts underscore a new digital reality in which hyper-realistic misinformation competes for attention with - and often drowns out - authentic images and videos following major news events.

Soon after Maduro's capture, fact-checkers uncovered posts on platforms such as X and Facebook purporting to show the first image of the Venezuelan in US custody, flanked by American forces near an aircraft.

But the image - which made Maduro appear younger - was AI generated, with Google's artificial intelligence tool Gemini detecting a SynthID, an invisible watermark meant to identify AI content.

Social media users also shared an image claiming to show an American soldier posing with Maduro, who has a bag over his head.