AI-generated image of Thai police disguised as dancers fools global media
- Published on May 28, 2026 at 10:51
- 3 min read
- By Pasika KHERNAMNUOY, AFP Thailand
An AI-generated image posted in jest by Thai police that appears to show them dressed as flamboyant dancers has grabbed global attention, racking up thousands of shares on social media and being reposted by news organisations as a genuine photo depicting how officers disguised themselves to execute a drugs raid. The officer who posted the image told AFP it was created with AI to portray "a cute and humorous side" of the police.
"Even James Bond 007 can't beat -- foreign media widely shared an image of Thai police disguising themselves as dancers to arrest a drug dealer, sending the story viral worldwide," says overlaid Thai-language text on a Facebook image shared on May 26, 2026.
The image appears to show a group of officers in colourful costumes standing behind a suspect whose face is blurred.
The image was shared across social media in several different languages, and was picked up by media outlets both within Thailand and abroad.
In Thailand, Thaiger News published the image and details of the purported drug raid in Thai and English posts shared thousands of times. The image was also popular with overseas media, and was shared by The Telegraph, the New York Post and CNN Brazil among others.
The image, however, was generated using AI.
'Friendlier image'
A reverse image search on Google led to the same image posted on the Facebook page of the Thaluang Provincial Police Station in Lopburi province on May 21 (archived link).
"We don't even want to go out on arrest operations -- the costume rental is expensive," says its caption, before sharing details of the operation.
It says police seized 53 methamphetamine pills, over 200 small plastic bags and a mobile phone allegedly linked to illegal online slot machine activities.
"The image was AI," police sergeant Rachata Mitrsuripong, the Facebook page's administrator, told AFP on May 26.
Rachata said the other details in the post were accurate except for the suspect's name. He provided AFP with the original photo, which also does not contain the woman dancer seen in the AI-generated version.
"I wanted to create a friendlier image of the police, showing a cute and humorous side, so that people would feel more comfortable approaching officers," he said.
Another officer at the police station also told AFP that Rachata manages its Facebook page. They added they were unaware the AI-generated image had spread internationally.
After AFP's enquiries, the station's Facebook page posted the original photo alongside the modified image (archived link).
"Everyone, these are the authentic ones. (The previous one) is AI-generated, just FYI," says the May 27 post.
An analysis of the falsely shared image using SynthID Detector -- a tool launched by Google in May 2025 to identify AI-generated content -- found with a "Very high" degree of confidence that it was created with the help of its AI tools (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation stemming from AI-generated content.
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