The call came in late: four vervet monkeys, loose near a St. Louis park. Police arrived, scanning the trees, a growing crowd gathering with phones out—but the real chaos was just beginning. What complicated the search wasn’t the monkeys’ agility, but the flood of AI-generated images claiming to show them, each more absurd than the last.
Monkeys in the City: Separating Fact From AI Fiction
Last Thursday, confusion spread faster than the monkeys themselves. According to the Associated Press, social media became a breeding ground for AI-generated images and videos, all purporting to show the elusive primates. It’s a modern twist on the classic wild animal chase, where technology blurs the lines of reality.
“The Department of Health first became aware of the situation through reports from residents, as well as a sighting reported by a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer. Currently, the origin of these animals is unknown,” the local health department told First Alert 4.
“A Department of Health Animal Care and Control Officer was dispatched on Thursday, Jan. 8, to investigate, but was not able to locate the animals. On Friday, Jan. 9, several officers patrolled the area based on continued reports of sightings, but the monkeys have still not been found,” the department’s statement continued.
Willie Springer, a spokesperson for the St. Louis Department of Health, described the challenge: distinguishing genuine sightings from AI fabrications. “It’s been a lot in regard to AI and what’s genuine and what’s not,” Springer told the AP. “People are just having fun. Like I don’t think anyone means harm.”
How Can You Spot a Fake Monkey Photo?
Some images are clearly jokes—Instagram reels set to Monkees tunes. Others bear the Sora watermark, a telltale sign of OpenAI’s video creation tool. The problem? Many people don’t recognize the watermark, which makes it harder to sort reality. It’s like trying to find a specific grain of sand on a beach, each pixel a potential deception.
Then there are the more elaborate fakes, like videos of monkeys supposedly stealing cars. The sheer volume of content overwhelms any effort to verify, hindering genuine reports.
The Goat and the Absurdity of AI
It doesn’t end there. A rumor spread about a goat also roaming St. Louis, with Facebook photos that might also be AI-generated. The situation highlights how AI is becoming a hall-of-mirrors, reflecting back a distorted version of the world.
What Happens If the Monkeys Are Caught?
Animal control is consulting with experts from the St. Louis Zoo, but finding the owners is unlikely, according to First Alert 4, because it’s illegal to keep monkeys within city limits.
If you spot monkeys in St. Louis (IRL, not online), call Animal Care and Control at 314-657-1500. As technology evolves, are our senses becoming obsolete?