Artificial intelligence was used for propaganda in Venezuela

YouTube has blocked accounts that were spreading propaganda videos about the situation in Venezuela, made with the help of AI. The fake videos were created using technology from Synthesia, a London-based company that develops avatar tools.

One propaganda video claimed that reports of poverty in Venezuela were exaggerated. Another issue was devoted to the interim government, which opposed President Nicolas Maduro. The video said that the opposition had spent $152 million inefficiently. All videos were broadcast on state television.

Adrian Gonzalez, director of the disinformation monitoring agency Cazadores de Fake News, said that fake news ‘flourish’ in Venezuela’s information desert. Especially when there is the technology in place that allows you to create compelling videos with false information.

Following the blocking, Synthesia banned the use of its content generated on its platform in news reports. In addition, Synthesia videos will be automatically tagged with a digital watermark.