In response to censorship in Venezuela, local media, journalists and international organizations have come together for #OperacionRetuit, an initiative that uses AI-generated avatars to share information. These avatars, named La Chama (The Venezuelan) and El Pana (The Buddy), deliver “credible and verified” news about the crisis following the contested presidential elections.
The news program, broadcast by 12 independent media outlets, is associated with the #VenezuelaVota and #LaHoraDeVenezuela initiatives. It has also managed to gather various international media from 13 countries, according to reports.
The use of “ghost” journalists is intended to eliminate any risk of retaliation from the Maduro regime. The content will be shared on the social media platforms of Connectas, “a journalistic platform for the Americas that brings together investigations, analysis and information,” according to its description on X.
Venezuelan journalists use AI avatars to evade retaliation from the regime
The official presentation of the initiative took place on August 13. “Starting today, we will be accompanying you with Operacion Retuit to share information about what is really happening in Venezuela. Before we continue, in case you haven’t noticed, we want to tell you that we are not real. We were generated by Artificial Intelligence, but our content is real, verified, of high quality and created by journalists,” say the avatars in their introduction.
Four Venezuelan journalists were detained and charged with “terrorism” amidst protests that erupted following the presidential elections on July 28, which declared Nicolas Maduro the winner amid fraud allegations. Maduro’s regime has attempted to close all possible fronts to the Venezuelan opposition, one of which has been censoring media and journalists from disseminating information related to the controversial elections, where the leader was declared the winner, despite claims that he was defeated by Edmundo Gonzalez.
UN report highlights failures in Venezuela’s election transparency
The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela “did not comply” with basic measures of “transparency and integrity” in the July 28 presidential elections, which the opposition denounces as fraudulent, according to a preliminary report by a U.N. panel of experts published on August 13.
The CNE “failed to meet the basic transparency and integrity measures essential for holding credible elections. It also did not follow national legal and regulatory provisions, and all established deadlines were missed,” states the report by four electoral specialists deployed in the South American country by the U.N.
Without presenting the electoral records, the CNE declared President Nicolas Maduro reelected with 52% of the votes for a third six-year term. However, the opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, claims the victory of Gonzalez, and has denounced the election as fraudulent.
The election results have sparked protests that have left 25 dead, 192 injured, and more than 2,000 detained.
“Announcing the result of an election without publishing its details or sharing tabulated results with the candidates is unprecedented in contemporary democratic elections,” added the U.N. experts, who were in Venezuela from late June until August 2.
The document notes that Venezuelan authorities “cooperated and supported the deployment of the panel,” but after the polls closed, “unfortunately, and despite a request sent via verbal note, the panel was unable to meet with the CNE Board of Directors before their departure.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed concern about arbitrary detentions in Venezuela following post-election protests and the disproportionate use of force that is fueling a “climate of fear” since the presidential elections.