Scientists Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Assess Primate Intelligence

In the Taboga Frorest Reserve of Costa Rica, a group of capuchin monkeys wander, foraging for food. Hidden by the dense green leaves of the underbrush, they move about unseen. One particularly curious alpha male named Papi led the group, searching for fruits and grubs. Suddenly, something catches his eye. A neon-blue screen set into a wooden box, standing in stark contrast to the usual soothing greens and browns of the forest. He carefully moves in for a closer look, poking and prodding the box. His nimble fingers grazed the screen, and a piece of dried banana dropped into a tray below the screen, rewarding him for his efforts.

Papi eventually figures out how the simple device works: touch the screen and you get a treat. Papi also proved that the concept for CapuchinAI was feasible. CapuchinAI is an AI module designed to test the cognitive abilities of capuchin monkeys in the wild. It uses AI-powered facial recognition to recognize and distinguish between capuchins and provide them a simple learning task. Scientists testing more sophisticated versions of the AI hope the research may help uncover the secrets of primate evolution and intelligence, and how a monkey’s smarts affect its survival.

“If we really want to understand how primates make decisions, if we want to understand how they’re using these large brains that they evolved, we have to really put it in the context of the world in which they’re navigating,” said Marcela Benítez, a primatologist at Emory University. “But that is a lot easier said than done.”

Last year, Dr Benítez made key contributions the CapuchinAI, working with her colleagues to train the AI model with photos of the mysterious primates. Her team then developed a portable testing station including a webcam, a touchscreen, and a 3D-printed food dispenser. The contraption was made to detect oncoming capuchins and provide them with a simple learning task.

The researchers tested the device last summer, setting it up in the forest and hoping that a capuchin would wander by. For the first 2 days, not a single capuchin came. But on the third day, Papi showed up. Eventually, other monkeys came too. After multiple testing sessions, a total of 16 capuchins interacted with the device.

One monkey “would bite around the area where the banana would come out,” Mr. Sánchez Vargas said. “He would get on top of the box and slap the box, but he just did not think to touch the screen.” However, 10 of the 16 monkeys who came figured out how to complete the task, and around 8 of them retained their knowledge.

This summer, researchers will be using test stations equipped with more sophisticated facial recognition, allowing them to distinguish among the primates more effectively. The previous model trained on a smaller group of capuchins were able to identify monkeys with over 97 percent accuracy. The stations will also have a larger library of tasks, including impulse control and cognitive flexibility.

Sources:

https://www.labmanager.com/ai-platform-brings-cognitive-testing-to-wild-primates-35767

https://news.emory.edu/features/2026/07/ai-opens-new-era-cognitive-studies-wild-primates

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/science/costa-rica-monkeys-ai.html?eafs_enabled=false