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A crocodile at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in January. An incident involving an AI-generated image of a crocodile in Pandan Reservoir in August illustrates the challenges of determining what is real, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Simon Chesterman
In August, someone sent a photograph apparently showing a crocodile in Pandan Reservoir. PUB ran the image through several AI-detection tools. The results were inconclusive.
Faced with the possibility that there really was a crocodile in the reservoir, the authorities understandably took precautions. Water activities were suspended and a search was conducted. The image was subsequently established to be AI-generated and a man was charged over the incident.