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Why Wild Capuchin Monkeys Started 'Kissing' an AI Touchscreen for Banana Rewards
['Lakshmi Sankar']
ibtimes.sg : Top News
Wild capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica's Taboga Forest Reserve learned to touch an artificial-intelligence-powered screen to receive banana rewards, according to a study published as a proof-of-concept in the American Journal of Primatology.
Researchers said the device offers a new method for testing animal cognition directly in natural habitats, rather than in a laboratory.
During field testing, the team waited three days before any capuchin approached the device.
A male capuchin known locally as Trompudo was first to interact with it, striking the touchscreen and triggering a banana slice.
Researchers said testing wild individuals without capturing or relocating them could help scientists understand how environment and social context shape learning across a population.