AI-generated monkey hoax has Newark cops on the hunt for the loose primate

They were going bananas!

Viral photos showing wild monkeys on the loose in New Jersey prompted cops to launch a frantic search this week, but officials now say it’s likely a hoax created by artificial intelligence.

Fake photos showing dozens of monkeys running wild at the Georgia King Village apartment complex in Newark sparked panicked calls to authorities, prompting police on a frantic chase Thursday morning, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda. PIX11 reported.

One photo showed two monkeys searching through a garbage container.

Officers searched the area and inside buildings, but the animals were nowhere to be found, Miranda said.

“The officers did not find any monkeys,” he told the outlet, noting that city animal control officers also received a similar false report on Wednesday.

“Any images or videos posted on social media regarding this incident were likely produced by artificial intelligence.”

While the fake scenes are still being investigated, police described the incident as a “hoax.”

Harriet Goyette, who works in an office near where the monkeys were reported, told the outlet she received a phone call from a horrified co-worker who advised her to “be careful” because of the digital fakes.

“Use AI for the right things, not for something like this,” she said. He told News12 New Jersey.

“Because when something actually happens, officers will take their time detecting it because it could potentially be artificial intelligence, which is not true.”

Local resident Richard Chapman also criticized the stunt as it wasted police resources and time.

“For the police to come here for something that is not real, is a waste of their time when they could be doing other things with their time,” he said.

“I think we need to do AI the right way and not manipulate too much and make things bigger than they are.”

The incident comes amid police warnings nationwide About the viral TikTok craze It’s called the “AI Homeless Man Prank” – a shameless trick where people generate photos of a homeless man inside their homes or outside their driveways and then report them to the authorities.