Summary
In Singapore, Ye Lin allegedly used the AI tool Gemini to generate an image of a saltwater crocodile at Pandan Reservoir and sent it to a colleague in August. The image prompted a reported sighting; Singapore’s national water agency (PUB) and national parks staff suspended aquatic activities and searched the reservoir for two days before confirming the image was fake and reporting it to police.
Police charged Ye with transmitting a false message and with obstruction of justice after he deleted the image and the Gemini app; authorities say those charges carry up to three years and up to seven years in prison respectively (a combined potential sentence of up to ten years). It is unclear from the report how PUB was initially notified. Ye said he intends to plead guilty and his case will be heard again in November.