A 30-year-old man is expected to be charged in court on Tuesday, 29 September, after allegedly creating an AI-generated image of a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir.
The fake image had real-world consequences. PUB and the National Parks Board (NParks) deployed resources to search for the supposed crocodile, while water activities at the reservoir were suspended.
Police said on Monday that preliminary investigations found that the man had allegedly generated the crocodile image before sending it to a colleague.
He also allegedly deleted the image and the application associated with it in an attempt to conceal his actions.
Fake Image Triggered Search for Crocodile
The incident began on 20 August, when PUB was alerted at about 3pm to a supposed crocodile sighting at Pandan Reservoir.
Based on the photograph it had received, the animal was initially believed to be an estuarine crocodile. PUB informed NParks, and the two agencies began search and capture operations.
The Singapore Rowing Association and Singapore Canoe Federation were also told to suspend water activities at the reservoir.
Warning signs were installed in the area to advise members of the public to exercise caution.
However, PUB announced on 21 August that further checks had established that the photograph was fake.
Search operations were subsequently stopped and PUB lodged a police report. Water activities were allowed to resume from 22 August.
Police Say Image Was Generated Using AI
At the time the photograph was exposed as fake, authorities had not publicly confirmed whether artificial intelligence was used to create it.
The issue even reached Parliament. In a written reply published on 9 September, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam said police could not disclose case-specific details while investigations were ongoing.
He said police may conduct forensic examinations when investigating edited photographs submitted to mislead the authorities, to determine whether an image has been fabricated or manipulated.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also warned against submitting AI-generated or digitally altered material to the police or government agencies while presenting it as genuine.
The police’s 28 September update has now identified the photograph as an AI-generated image and alleged that the 30-year-old man created it.
He is expected to face charges involving communicating a false message and obstructing the course of justice. As the case is before the courts, the allegations have not been proven.
