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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.11.07.687266

CapuchinAI: Leveraging AI to study wild primate cognition

Sanchez Vargas, F.·Potluri, S. R.·Abernethy, J.·Benitez, M. E.
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Abstract

Advancing the study of primate cognition requires methods that preserve ecological validity while enabling the experimental control typical of laboratory research. We introduce CapuchinAI, a field-deployable touchscreen system that integrates real-time facial recognition with automated cognitive testing, providing a novel methodological framework for studying cognition in wild primates. Our approach combines a high-performing (>97% accuracy) YOLOv7-based facial recognition model (Multiple Capuchins v1.0) with a portable Raspberry Pi-driven touchscreen-reward apparatus designed for automated operation in natural habitats. The system detects approaching capuchins, initiates video recording, presents touchscreen stimuli, and dispenses food rewards contingent on task performance. During a two-week presentation to two habituated groups of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) at the Taboga Forest Reserve, 16 individuals voluntarily interacted with the apparatus, 10 learned to trigger rewards, and 8 formed and retained robust screen-reward associations. The rapid habituation and learning rates demonstrate the feasibility of deploying AI-mediated cognitive experiments in the wild. CapuchinAI addresses several long-standing challenges in field cognition research by enabling: (1) autonomous, individualized task administration without researcher intervention; (2) standardized, repeatable trials across individuals and sessions; (3) scalable deployment across groups and sites; and (4) parallel data collection on behavior, identity, and performance. This methodology provides a blueprint for integrating machine learning, touchscreen testing, and automated reward delivery to study within- and between-individual cognitive variation under natural conditions. CapuchinAI represents a significant step toward long-term comparative research on primate cognition by making laboratory experimental paradigms accessible in the wild, bridging the gap between lab and field. Research HighlightsO_LIWe present CapuchinAI, a field-ready touchscreen testing station that uses real-time facial recognition to study cognition in wild capuchin monkeys C_LIO_LIWe developed a YOLOv7-based facial recognition model (Multiple Capuchins v1.0) that identifies individual capuchins with >97% precision and recall from static images, video, and live footage, enabling fully automated, individualized testing in the wild. C_LIO_LIWe integrated a version of this model into a closed-loop touchscreen-reward pipeline that detects an approaching monkey, presents a basic learning task, and automatically delivers food rewards based on the monkeys responses. C_LIO_LIWild capuchins rapidly habituated and learned touchscreen-reward associations, showing that AI-enabled touchscreens provide a scalable field method for deploying lab-style cognitive tests and mapping individual differences across tasks, species, and sites. C_LI

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Sanchez Vargas, F., Potluri, S. R., Abernethy, J., Benitez, M. E.. 2025-11-10. CapuchinAI: Leveraging AI to study wild primate cognition. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.07.687266

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