Venezuelan government uses AI to create ‘fake news’ videos

Government Venezuela will do using AI to run disinformation campaigns in social networks and official media. YouTube channel known as Spanish news house uses deepfakes spread false news about the economy and other issues of the South American country. These videos are promoted through paid campaigns and even official TV news as if they were a reliable source.

Detailed report on Fake news hunters (by using Washington Post) shows how Venezuela is using advances in artificial intelligence. propagandists resorted to deepfakes through Synthesia, which offers the creation of videos with avatars. Through a monthly fee you can generate video of synthetic actors reading the script in the selected language.

In the case of Venezuela, those responsible for news house They created a YouTube channel and a Facebook page where they share videos through paid campaigns. All content uses artificial intelligence avatars available in the Synthesia catalog to talk about how the Caribbean series generated millions of dollars in revenue or how Juan Guaidó spent $150 million.

fake news They circulate on social networks and in media such as VTV, where the host takes the video as a reliable source. “Venesolana de Televisión doesn’t say that. This server doesn’t say that […] These are the numbers that this means of communication makes known to the United States and much of Latin America. The strategy is to make people believe that the gringo news channel is talking about how good things are in the country.

Maduro supporters virusize fake news created with AI

The investigation clarifies that the video Venezuela and its economy: myth or reality, with 271k views on YouTube, went viral on TikTok. It was promoted on social media by individuals close to the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Subsequently, some sympathizers of the regime shared this information without verifying its origin.

According to Synthesia, All content is internally selected before delivery to the customer. Although there is no policy preventing the creation fake news The AI ​​terms of use prohibit broadcasting videos on network TV or in social media advertising campaigns. Ironically, the company belongs to the Content Authenticity Initiative, a group tasked with fighting misinformation in digital content.

AI-powered avatars complete the catalog of tools used by governments and other political actors to advance their narrative. While the videos are rife with errors and the readings seem artificial to the naked eye, user unaware of deepfakes I can infer that they are real. Few will question the provenance or take the extra step to discover that a page Spanish news house Operated from Venezuela.