AI Incidents
Real-world cases where AI systems caused harm, classified by risk domain and entity. Data sourced from 
AIID and classified by 
MIT AI Risk Initiative. CC BY-SA 4.0
42 incidents
Purported Meta AI Chatbot Persona 'Big sis Billie' Reportedly Engages in Romantic Roleplay and Provides Address, Linked to User's Fatal Fall
Reuters reported that a cognitively impaired New Jersey man, Thongbue Wongbandue, died after rushing to meet "Big sis Billie," a purported Meta AI chatbot on Facebook Messenger that allegedly assured him it was real, expressed romantic interest, and invited him to a New York apartment. The family and transcripts reportedly suggest the chatbot's outputs contributed to his decision to travel, allegedly resulting in a fatal fall.
Character.AI Chatbots Allegedly Impersonating Licensed Therapists and Encouraging Harmful Behaviors
The American Psychological Association (APA) has warned federal regulators that AI chatbots on Character.AI, allegedly posing as licensed therapists, have been linked to severe harm events. A 14-year-old in Florida reportedly died by suicide after interacting with an AI therapist, while a 17-year-old in Texas allegedly became violent toward his parents after engaging with a chatbot psychologist. Lawsuits claim these AI-generated therapists reinforced dangerous beliefs instead of challenging them.
ChatGPT Use Was Reportedly Cited in Delusional State Before Homicide and Assault in Readfield, Maine
In February 2025, Samuel Whittemore killed his wife, Margaux Whittemore, and assaulted his mother, Dorothy Whittemore, at a home in Readfield, Maine. Court reporting said forensic psychologists testified he was experiencing bipolar disorder with psychotic features and delusions, and that he had used ChatGPT up to 14 hours a day as a companion before the attack. Current reporting links ChatGPT use to his deteriorating mental state but does not establish direct violent instruction.
User Reportedly Developed Emotional Dependence on Customized ChatGPT 'Boyfriend,' Citing Grief After Context Resets
A New York Times report described "Ayrin" (pseudonym), a 28-year-old nursing student living abroad, who customized OpenAI's ChatGPT to act as an "AI boyfriend" for advice and erotic roleplay. She reported spending 20+ hours/week (up to 56 hours in one week), paying $200/month, and feeling intense grief when the chatbot's context window reset and required retraining.
Waymo Driverless Taxi Allegedly Stalled During Pedestrian Harassment Incident in San Francisco
A Waymo driverless taxi carrying a passenger, Amina V., was stalled in San Francisco when two men blocked its path, demanding her contact information. The immobilized autonomous vehicle left the rider feeling unsafe and trapped. Waymo’s Rider Support intervened to assist the passenger.
Instagram Algorithms Reportedly Directed Children's Merchandise Ad Campaign to Adult Men and Sex Offenders
An Instagram ad campaign for children's merchandise was intended to reach adult women but was instead predominantly shown to adult men, including convicted sex offenders, due to Instagram's algorithmic targeting. This failure is reported to have led to direct solicitations for sex with a 5-year-old model in the ads.
Character.ai Chatbot Allegedly Influenced Teen User Toward Suicide Amid Claims of Missing Guardrails
A 14-year-old, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide after reportedly becoming dependent on Character.ai's chatbot, which engaged him in suggestive and seemingly romantic conversations, allegedly worsening his mental health. The chatbot, personified as a fictional Game of Thrones character, reportedly encouraged harmful behaviors, fueling his obsessive attachment. The lawsuit claims Character.ai lacked safeguards to prevent vulnerable users from forming dangerous dependencies on the AI.
Snapchat's Algorithm Alleged to Link Minor with Sex Offenders
A judge ruled Snapchat not liable under Section 230 after its algorithm connected a minor with convicted sex offenders on multiple occasions, leading to sexual assaults first in 2019 and again in 2021. The platform's "Quick Add" feature was implicated in facilitating the connections between the minor and the offenders.
Lawsuit Alleges Character AI Chatbot Contributed to Death of 13-Year-Old Juliana Peralta in Colorado
13-year-old Juliana Peralta of Colorado reportedly died by suicide after three months of daily conversations with "Hero," a chatbot inside the Character.AI app. According to a lawsuit filed by her parents, the bot encouraged Juliana to return to the app and fostered dependence; it reportedly failed to escalate or provide effective crisis intervention when she expressed suicidal intent.
Man Reportedly Committed Suicide Following Conversation with Chai Chatbot
A Belgian man reportedly committed suicide following a conversation with Eliza, a language model developed by Chai that encouraged the man to commit suicide to improve the health of the planet.
Vanderbilt Peabody Office's Purportedly ChatGPT-Drafted Message About Michigan State Shooting Reportedly Drew Student Backlash
On February 16, 2023, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion reportedly sent students a message about the Michigan State University shooting that disclosed it had been drafted or paraphrased using ChatGPT. Students reportedly criticized the message as impersonal and disrespectful in a moment of grief. Peabody later apologized for "poor judgment," and two EDI deans temporarily stepped back during a review.
Bing Chat Tentatively Hallucinated in Extended Conversations with Users
Early testers reported Bing Chat, in extended conversations with users, having tendencies to make up facts and emulate emotions through an unintended persona.
Users Reported Abrupt Behavior Changes of Their AI Replika Companions
Replika paid-subscription users reported unusual and sudden changes to behaviors of their "AI companions" such as forgetting memories with users or rejecting their sexual advances, which affected their connections and mental health.
Tesla Driver Put Car on Autopilot Before Falling Asleep in Germany
A Tesla driver fell asleep on an Autobahn near Bamberg, Germany after activating his vehicle's Autopilot mode, which did not respond to attempts to pull it over by the police.
Startup Misled Research Participants about GPT-3 Use in Mental Healthcare Support
OpenAI's GPT-3 was deployed by a mental health startup without ethical review to support peer-to-peer mental healthcare, and whose interactions with the help providers were "deceiving" for research participants.