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
197 incidents
Reported AI-Assisted Influence Campaigns by GoLaxy Allegedly Targeting Hong Kong and Taiwan Political Discourse
Reportedly leaked documents reviewed by researchers and media allege that Chinese firm GoLaxy used its "GoPro" AI system in multiple influence campaigns. In 2020, it reportedly tracked 180,000 Twitter accounts to counter opposition to Hong Kong's National Security Law; in 2022–2023, it amplified praise for China's Zero Covid policy using purportedly fake Facebook accounts; and in late 2023, allegedly it advised on messaging to weaken Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party.
Kristen Bell Deepfaked in Non-Consensual AI-Generated Pornography
The actor Kristen Bell discovered that her likeness was exploited by creators of deepfake pornography, who shared their non-consensual sexual depictions of her on the Internet.
Autonomous Kargu-2 Drone Allegedly Remotely Used to Hunt down Libyan Soldiers
In Libya, a Turkish-made Kargu-2 aerial drone powered by a computer vision model was allegedly used remotely by forces backed by the Tripoli-based government to track down and attack enemies as they were running from rocket attacks.
Noelle Martin Deepfaked Without Consent in AI-Generated Pornography
In 2017, Noelle Martin discovered explicit deepfake videos online that used AI technology to superimpose her face onto pornographic scenes. This incident was a continuation of the abuse she had experienced since at least 2012, when she first found doctored still images of herself in similar contexts. Despite the initial lack of legal protections, her advocacy efforts were instrumental in making image-based abuse a criminal offense in Australia.
Quantum AI and Related AI-Themed Investment Scams Reportedly Used Deepfake Endorsements and Spoofed Media Sites to Solicit Investments
Researchers have described a global AI-themed investment fraud ecosystem using deepfake videos, spoofed news sites, phishing pages, and phone outreach to impersonate celebrities, news outlets, and political leaders. Reports link the scheme to fake trading platforms including Quantum AI and related sites, and to cloaked adtech infrastructure used to route likely victims while hiding scam pages from scanners.
Self-Employed Somerset Father Wayne Luxon Reportedly Lost £140,000 After Facebook Deepfake of Martin Lewis Promoted Crypto Scam
Beginning in 2020, Wayne Luxon, a 43-year-old self-employed father of four from Taunton, Somerset, reportedly lost £140,000 after responding to a Facebook advertisement using a purportedly AI-generated Martin Lewis deepfake to promote cryptocurrency investment. Luxon said he was directed to a clone platform where he made additional payments after seeing fictitious gains, and later paid purported tax fees before the account balance fell to zero.
Bots Allegedly Made up Roughly Half of Twitter Accounts in Discussions Surrounding COVID-19 Related Issues
Bots by anonymous actors were found by researchers to make up roughly half of Twitter accounts participating in COVID-19 discussions, many of which posted tweets about “reopening America“.
Uganda Deployed Huawei's Facial Recognition to Monitor Political Opposition and Protests
Huawei's AI systems involving facial recognition were reportedly deployed by the Ugandan government to monitor political opposition actors and anti-regime sentiments, which raised fears of surveillance and suppression of individual freedoms.
GAN Faces Deployed by The BL's Fake Account Network to Push Pro-Trump Content on Meta Platforms
A large network of pages, groups, and fake accounts having GAN-generated face photos associated with The BL, a US-based media outlet, reportedly bypassed Facebook moderation systems to push "pro-Trump" narratives on its platform and Instagram.
Telegram Channels Allowed Users to Make Non-Consensual Deepfake Porn as Paid Service
Seven channels were connected in a Telegram ecosystem centered around letting subscribers, as a paid service, generate non-consensual deepfake nudes using a bot from submitted photos of women, including underage girls and women who they know in real life.
Amazon Reportedly Recommends Explosive-Producing Ingredients as 'Frequently Bought Together' Items for Chemicals
Amazon was reported to have shown chemical combinations for producing explosives and incendiary devices as "frequently bought together" items via automated recommendation.
RealPage's YieldStar Allegedly Facilitated Rent Price Coordination Among Canadian Landlords
RealPage’s YieldStar algorithm is alleged to have enabled Canadian landlords to coordinate rental pricing by utilizing sensitive, non-public market data. The software has been accused of contributing to rent increases in non-rent-controlled units through purported collusion and artificial price inflation. Tenants have reported significant rent hikes, which they attribute to landlords' use of the algorithm.
Government Deployed Extreme Surveillance Technologies to Monitor and Target Muslim Minorities in Xinjiang
A suite of AI-powered digital surveillance systems involving facial recognition and analysis of biometric data were deployed by the Chinese government in Xinjiang to monitor and discriminate local Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims.
YouTube Recommendations Allegedly Promoted Radicalizing Material Contributing to Terrorist Acts
Family of Nohemi Gonzalez alleged YouTube recommendation systems led people to propaganda videos for the Islamic State which subsequently radicalized them to carry out the killing of 130 people in the 2015 Paris terrorist attack, including Ms. Gonzalez.
YouTube Recommendations Implicated in Political Radicalization of User
YouTube’s personalization and recommendation algorithms were alleged to have pushed and exposed its young male users to political extremism and misinformation, driving them towards far-right ideologies such as neo-Nazism and white supremacy.