AI-generated content floods social media, distorting the narrative around Venezuela’s captured leader Nicolas Maduro and raising disinformation concerns.

Since the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in early January, an unprecedented wave of artificial intelligence-generated content has flooded social media platforms, creating a digital battleground where fact and fiction increasingly blur.

The arrest, which took place during U.S. strikes in Caracas on January 3, has triggered what experts describe as a “propaganda war” that leverages sophisticated AI technology to shape public perception. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are currently detained in a New York prison facing drug trafficking charges.

Social media channels have been inundated with AI-generated images and videos depicting Maduro in various fictional scenarios. One widely circulated clip shows an animated Maduro declaring himself a “prisoner of war” in a New York courtroom, while another portrays him attempting a prison escape before bizarrely ending in a dance routine with a cartoon Donald Trump.

“What we’re seeing is the development of disinformation labs that overwhelm social media platforms,” explained researcher Leon Hernandez to AFP. “The idea was to create confusion and generate skepticism by distorting certain elements of real things.”

The strategy, according to Hernandez, involves flooding audiences with so much content that they struggle to follow the actual narrative surrounding Maduro’s capture. This digital deluge makes it increasingly difficult for average citizens to distinguish genuine reporting from manipulated content.

Perhaps more troubling is that even Venezuela’s state broadcaster VTV has participated in this phenomenon, airing an AI-animated video narrated by a child that recounts Maduro’s capture from a perspective that appears designed to elicit sympathy.

Professor Elena Block of the University of Queensland, who studies media and political communication, notes that this represents a dangerous evolution in propaganda techniques. “AI has become the new instrument of power for autocrats to confuse, combat, and silence dissent,” she warned.

While cartoon propaganda isn’t new—Block points out that it has been employed by both authoritarian and democratic states for decades—the sophistication and accessibility of AI tools have dramatically escalated its potential impact. Before his arrest, Maduro was frequently depicted in state-sponsored media as the superhero “Super Bigote” (Super Mustache), battling monsters representing the “North American empire.” The character became so popular that supporters carried Super Bigote toys at rallies demanding Maduro’s return.

This represents a continuation of the Chavismo movement’s approach to media control under Maduro’s leadership. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Maduro implemented policies of “media domination” that effectively stifled criticism in traditional news outlets, leaving social media as one of the few remaining spaces for open information exchange.

“With censorship and the weakening of news media, social media has emerged as one of the only spaces for information,” Block explained. However, these platforms are now overwhelmed with manipulated content that serves political agendas.

The phenomenon extends beyond Venezuela. Professor Block highlighted that similar tactics are being employed in other political contexts, citing Donald Trump’s campaign’s frequent use of AI-generated content with aggressive language and messaging.

The implications for democratic discourse are profound. As AI tools become more sophisticated and widely available, the line between reality and fiction grows increasingly difficult for citizens to discern. “These digital and AI tools end up trivializing politics: you don’t explain it, you diminish it,” Block concluded, adding ominously: “AI today is the greatest threat to democracy.”

As Maduro’s legal proceedings continue in New York, the online information war surrounding his case offers a concerning preview of how future political narratives may be shaped—not through traditional media or even human-created content, but through increasingly realistic artificial intelligence that can create convincing alternative realities tailored to specific political ends.