Misinformation Explodes After Maduro's Capture: AI Deepfakes & Old Images Flood Social Media

• Visual misinformation, including AI deepfakes and recycled images, surged on social media after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.
• An AI-generated image of Maduro in US custody, detected by Google's Gemini SynthID, and a 2003 photo of Saddam Hussein were widely shared as current events.
• Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard identified seven fabricated visuals related to the Venezuela operation, garnering over 14 million views on X in two days.
• The trend highlights "AI slop" and misrepresented visuals blurring reality, making fact-checking harder due to hyper-realistic content.
• Former President Donald Trump also amplified misinformation, sharing a video of a "UCLA undie run" falsely claiming it showed Venezuelan celebrations.

Why It Matters: Maduro's capture triggered a flood of AI-driven and recycled misinformation, challenging digital truth.