AI-Generated Videos Spread Misinformation About Maduro's Capture on X
AI-generated videos purporting to show Venezuelans celebrating Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces spread widely on social media in January 2026, creating a false narrative of popular support despite surveys and protests indicating most Venezuelans opposed the military intervention. The videos accumulated millions of views before being flagged by fact-checkers and community notes on X.
What happened
Following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of president Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, AI-generated videos began circulating on social media platforms including X, TikTok, and Instagram. These synthetic videos depicted Venezuelan citizens celebrating in the streets and thanking the United States and President Trump for Maduro's removal, despite public polling and protests indicating most Venezuelans opposed the military action.
A video posted by the account 'Wall Street Apes' on X depicting AI-generated scenes of Venezuelans crying tears of joy accumulated over 5.6 million views and was reshared by at least 38,000 accounts, including by Elon Musk before he removed the repost. The earliest known version of a similar clip appeared on a TikTok account called @curiousmindusa, which regularly posts AI-generated content.
Reported impact
The videos were used to create a false narrative suggesting widespread Venezuelan support for the U.S. military intervention, contradicting a November survey finding that 86 percent of Venezuelans preferred Maduro to remain head of state and thousands of Venezuelans were actively protesting the strikes. Critics warned that the AI-generated content represented a new era of increasingly sophisticated misinformation and war propaganda.
Index analysis
The videos exhibited visual artifacts typical of AI-generated content, including low-quality clips and synthetic narrator audio. Community notes on X flagged the video as AI-generated with a label stating the content was 'currently being presented as a factual statement intended to mislead people.'
Governance controls
A community note crowdsourced fact-checking feature on X added context to the viral video warning it was AI-generated. Fact-checkers at BBC and AFP identified the misleading content and flagged other examples of deceptive videos presenting celebrations from Chile, Panama City, and Buenos Aires as if they were from Venezuela, as well as unrelated footage from July 2024.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.