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
566 incidents
Carmel High School Students Reportedly Posted Racist Deepfake Videos Making New York Principal Appear to Threaten Black Students
At Carmel High School in New York, three students reportedly posted AI-generated deepfake videos on TikTok impersonating George Fischer Middle School principal John Piscitella and a sheriff's-office member making racist slurs and violent threats against Black students. The videos were reported to school officials on February 12, 2023, and parents later criticized the district's communication and safety response.
Synthesized Voices Were Reportedly Used by Torswats to Sell Swatting Calls Targeting Schools and Homes
A Telegram user or channel known as Torswats reportedly offered paid swatting services and uploaded recordings of false emergency calls using synthesized or computer-generated voices. Reported targets included high schools, private residences, streamers, businesses, and police departments; some calls prompted lockdowns, searches, or armed law-enforcement responses. The exact voice-generation tool was not identified.
AI Generated Voices Used to Dox Voice Actors
Twitter users allegedly used ElevenLab's AI voice synthesis system to impersonate and dox voice actors.
Online Scammers Tricked People into Sending Money Using AI Images of Earthquake in Turkey
AI-generated images depicting earthquakes and rescues were posted on social media platforms by scammers who tricked people into sending funds to their crypto wallets disguised as donation links for the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
Instagram Video Featured Deepfake Audio of US President Making Transphobic Remarks
A deepfaked audio of US President Joe Biden making transphobic remarks played on top of a video showing him giving a speech was released on Instagram and circulated on social media.
Alleged ChatGPT-Generated Book with a Duplicate Title, Fake Author, and Similar Content Surfaces on Amazon Ahead of Real Author's Book Release
The author Chris Cowell had spent more than a year writing his book "Automating DevOps with GitLab CI/CD Pipelines" when, three weeks before its release, another book appeared bearing the exact title by an author (Marie Karpos) for whom no information could be found. The book appeared to have been written by ChatGPT. While the original Washington Post story does not say so, it is possible the name and description were taken from the Amazon preorder page.
Non-consensual Deepfake Porn Targeted Female Content Creators
Unauthorized, non-consensual deepfake pornography showing faces of high-profile female streamers and content creators was published on a subscription-based website, which gained notoriety after a male streamer was caught accessing the site.
Purported Synthesia Avatars Used in Alleged Pro-Junta Deepfake Video Supporting Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso
In January 2023, purportedly AI-generated videos reportedly began circulating on WhatsApp and social media showing avatars of apparent American pan-Africanists expressing support for Burkina Faso's military junta. The videos were reportedly created using the Synthesia platform. Synthesia later confirmed the videos violated its terms of service and banned the user. The source of the videos remains unidentified.
Mother in Arizona Received Fake Ransom Call Featuring AI Voice of Her Daughter
A mother in Arizona received a ransom call from an anonymous scammer who created her daughter's voice allegedly using AI voice synthesis, which was proven to be fake once her daughter's safety was confirmed.
ChatGPT-Written Bug Reports Deemed "Nonsense" by White Hat Platform, Prompted Bans
ChatGPT-generated responses submitted to smart contract bug bounty platform Immunefi reportedly lacked details to help diagnose technical issues, which reportedly wasted the platform's time, prompting bans to submitters.
Canadian Parents Tricked out of Thousands Using Their Son's AI Voice
Two Canadian residents were scammed by an anonymous caller who used AI voice synthesis to replicate their son's voice asking them for legal fees, disguising as his lawyer.
ChatGPT Abused to Develop Malicious Softwares
OpenAI's ChatGPT was reportedly abused by cyber criminals including ones with no or low levels of coding or development skills to develop malware, ransomware, and other malicious softwares.
AI Video-Making Tool Abused to Deploy Pro-China News on Social Media
Synthesia's AI-generated video-making tool was reportedly used by Spamouflage to disseminate pro-China propaganda news on social media using videos featuring highly realistic fictitious news anchors.
Chinese Accounts Spammed Twitter Feed Allegedly to Obscure News of Protests
Twitter Feed was flooded by content from Chinese-language accounts which allegedly aimed to manipulate and reduce social media coverage about widespread protests against coronavirus restrictions in China.
Deepfake of FTX's Former CEO Posted on Twitter Aiming to Scam FTX Collapse Victims
A visual and audio deepfake of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was posted on Twitter to scam victims of the exchange's collapse by urging people to transfer funds into an anonymous cryptocurrency wallet.
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Year Trend
* Oct 2026, ~320 projected full year
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