Singapore Man Charged for AI-Generated Crocodile Image at Reservoir, Faces Up to 10 Years in Jail

A Singaporean man has been charged for using Google Gemini to create and share a fake image of a crocodile at a reservoir. He faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollars.

The man, Ye Lin, used Gemini on August 20 to generate an image of a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir, then sent it to a colleague. The image spread quickly online. Singapore's water agency PUB received a report and contacted the national parks board to search for the crocodile, warning people to avoid water activities near the reservoir.

On August 21, PUB confirmed the image was fake and reported it to the police. The same day, Ye Lin deleted the Gemini app, the crocodile image, and his activity history from his phone. He is accused of spreading false information and deleting evidence to obstruct justice.

Singapore police said they have zero tolerance for anyone spreading false information. Ye Lin will appear in court again on November 10. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollars.