a capuchin interacted with a touchscreen, learning from AI. This first monkey, Papi, figured out that every time it touched the screen, it would get a dried banana as a reward.
Dr. Benitez, a primatologist at Emory University, and her team were able to create an artificial intelligence (AI) software to test capuchins in the wild of their cognitive skills. They created a CapuchinAI software that uses facial recognition through a camera to differentiate capuchins from other animals in the wild by looking at their characteristics. A 15-inch touch screen with a wooden frame, a webcam, and a 3-D printed food dispenser was placed in Taboga Forest Reserve. If a monkey touched the screen, it would get a dried banana treat as a reward.
Dr. Benitez has been studying these monkeys for years on how they behave, what sounds they produce, and what their hormone levels are. She and her team conducted this experiment because they want to test out how the capuchin’s intelligence will then affect their survival skills. The touch screen tests the monkey’s cognitive skills on if they’re able to figure out that touching the screen means getting a reward.
Another cognitive skill of impulse control is also being implemented into AI. A series of green and red squares will appear on the touch screen. By touching the green and ignoring the red, they get a reward. The purpose of all this is to eventually link monkeys’ intelligence to their behavior in different circumstances, such as if a drought or food shortage occurs.
