01/13/2026
**AI, the legendary “cognitive chimpanzee,” has passed away at 49 🐵💔**
Ai, one of the most intelligent chimpanzees ever studied, has died at Kyoto University in Japan from age-related organ failure. She was 49 years old.
Ai was the centerpiece of the renowned **Ai Project**, a decades-long research effort that transformed scientific understanding of animal cognition. From an early age, she stunned researchers by learning numbers, recognizing colors, and identifying objects through a custom keyboard system. Her exceptional memory and learning skills pushed the boundaries of what humans believed non-human animals could achieve.
She was also much more than a subject in experiments. Ai showed creativity and curiosity, enjoying drawing and painting, and famously demonstrated her problem-solving skills by once escaping her enclosure using a key.
Through her life and work, Ai narrowed the perceived gap between humans and animals, proving that intelligence, creativity, and individuality are shared traits across species.
Rest in peace, Ai. Your brilliance reshaped science and changed how we see the animal mind forever. 🕊️🐒