Thai police find fame as AI princesses and pirates
Thai police are experimenting with an unusual tactic to boost public engagement, using artificial intelligence to reimagine officers as pop-culture characters in social media posts announcing arrests.
Officers in Samchuk district, central Thailand, drew attention this month after posting AI-generated images of themselves dressed as Disney princesses following the detention of suspects.
The Facebook post, captioned as a “princess mission,” showed officers styled as characters such as Snow White and Cinderella, drawing amused reactions from users who remarked on the figures’ unexpectedly muscular appearance.
A day later, the station escalated the gimmick, unveiling another arrest image depicting officers as characters from the Japanese manga One Piece.
Behind the playful visuals was a real police operation. The suspect was arrested on theft charges and also tested positive for drug use and drink-driving.
Station superintendent Kietchai Koetcho said the idea came from the investigation team, which wanted to make routine police updates more engaging in a crowded social media landscape.
The costumes were digitally added after the arrests, he said, with officers wearing standard uniforms during the actual operations.
The strategy proved effective. As of this writing, the Disney princess photo has already generated more than 18,000 reactions on Facebook alone, while its One Piece-themed photo garnered more than 48,000.
The approach appears to be spreading, as officers from Phlapphla Chai police station in Bangkok also recently posted AI-edited images of themselves styled after the television series Peaky Blinders.
Thai police have used visual humour in arrest photos before, including a recent case in Krabi where officers wore Liverpool football shirts while arresting a suspect dressed in Newcastle United colours.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
