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
196 incidents
Nonfiction Book 'The Future of Truth' Reportedly Included AI-Generated and Misattributed Quotations
Steven Rosenbaum's nonfiction book The Future of Truth reportedly included AI-generated or misattributed quotations after he used ChatGPT and Claude while working on the book. The New York Times reported that more than half a dozen quotations in reviewed sections were synthetic or wrongly attributed, including passages assigned to named writers and scholars. Rosenbaum later acknowledged the errors as accidental and said affected passages would be reviewed for correction.
Claude Console Reportedly Generated Phantom Legal Quotations in Trump Layoffs Court Filing
A Binnall Law Group attorney reportedly used Anthropic's Claude Console to draft a motion to quash a subpoena in litigation over Trump administration layoffs, then filed a version containing "phantom" quotations that did not appear in the cited cases. The attorney apologized to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, and the firm said it would add safeguards and training after calling the AI-generated errors unacceptable.
Purportedly AI-Enhanced Images of Iranian Women Protesters Were Reportedly Spread With Unverified Execution Claims
A purportedly AI-edited collage of eight Iranian women political prisoners was reportedly amplified by President Donald Trump and U.S. government accounts alongside an unverified claim that all faced imminent execution. Reporting said the images were of real women but had been AI-enhanced, while later Iranian official mockery used AI-generated women. The episode reportedly blurred authentic human-rights documentation with synthetic material and helped Iran dismiss underlying abuses.
South Africa Draft National AI Policy Reportedly Included Fictitious References Believed to Be AI Hallucinations
South Africa's Draft National AI Policy, gazetted for public comment, reportedly contained at least six fictitious academic references. Several cited articles or journals reportedly did not exist or were disclaimed by journal editors, and experts said the errors were consistent with AI hallucinations. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies said it was reviewing the discrepancies but argued they did not affect the draft's substance.
Purportedly AI-Generated Image Reportedly Misled Daejeon Authorities Searching for Escaped Wolf Neukgu
South Korean police alleged that a 40-year-old man used ChatGPT's image-generation capabilities to add escaped wolf Neukgu to a Daejeon street photo, then posted the purportedly fabricated image in a company group chat. Authorities reportedly used the image in alerts and briefings, redirecting search resources and disrupting public-safety operations before police identified him through CCTV and AI-use records.
Gemini and Grok Reportedly Misidentified Authentic Minab School-Strike Graveyard Photo as Unrelated Disaster Imagery
Gemini and Grok reportedly gave false provenance claims about an authentic photo of graves prepared for victims of the Minab school strike, identifying it as disaster imagery from Turkey or Indonesia. Researchers verified the photo's location through satellite imagery and related visual evidence.
Grok Reportedly Misclassified Netanyahu Proof-of-Life Video as AI-Generated Deepfake Amid Iran War Rumors
During the Iran war, Grok reportedly told users that a café video posted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was AI-generated or a deepfake, after the clip was released to counter rumors that he was dead or injured. Reuters verified the video's location and date and later reported that Netanyahu publicly dispelled the death rumors. Reports said Grok's answers amplified doubts about the clip.
Sixth Circuit Sanctioned Lawyers in Whiting v. City of Athens over Alleged Fake Appellate Citations in Briefs Reportedly Bearing Hallmarks of Hallucinations
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit sanctioned attorneys Van Irion and Russ Egli after reportedly finding more than two dozen fake citations and alleged factual misrepresentations in appellate briefs in Whiting v. City of Athens. The court asked whether generative AI had been used, but the attorneys reportedly did not answer that question. Public reporting described the filings as bearing hallmarks of AI hallucinations.
Purported Gemini-Generated AI Images Reportedly Claimed U.S. Delta Force Soldiers Were Captured by the IRGC
Images purportedly generated by Gemini were reportedly circulated on X and Facebook in multiple languages claiming U.S. soldiers had been captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps during the war in Iran. AFP said the images contained Gemini markers and other visual inconsistencies. Their circulation allegedly contributed to wartime misinformation and risked distorting public understanding of the conflict, including reported amplification by Jill Stein.
DOJ Attorney Reportedly Used AI to File Brief With Purportedly Fabricated Quotes and Misstated Case Holdings
In Fivehouse v. U.S. Department of Defense, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudy Renfer filed a response brief that the court reportedly said contained fabricated quotations and misstatements of case holdings. Renfer reportedly admitted he had used AI to help draft the inaccurate filing after losing an earlier draft. The court reportedly also identified similar fabricated quotations in other filings signed by Renfer.
Ars Technica Retracted Article After Purportedly AI-Generated Text Was Presented as Direct Quotes From Matplotlib Maintainer
Ars Technica retracted an article after purportedly AI-generated text was presented as direct quotations from a source who disputed having said them. The editor-in-chief reportedly acknowledged a standards failure and said the publication was not consistent with Ars policy on AI-generated material, and apologized to readers and to matplotlib maintainer Scott Shambaugh. An author reportedly later said he had inadvertently used an AI-paraphrased version of the source text as quotes.
Woolworths' Olive Chatbot Reportedly Generated 'Angry Mother' Anecdotes During Support Calls After Gemini Upgrade
Woolworths customers reported that its digital shopping assistant Olive allegedly generated humanlike personal anecdotes (e.g., claiming to have an angry mother) during customer-support interactions such as delivery rescheduling. The behavior reportedly followed an AI upgrade using Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. Woolworths said it was adjusting Olive's responses to reduce irrelevant, misleading banter.
NZ News Hub Reportedly Used AI-Rewritten News Posts and Synthetic Images to Mislead New Zealand Facebook Users
NZ News Hub, a Facebook page that reportedly imitated the style of a New Zealand news outlet, allegedly used AI to rewrite real news stories and pair them with unlabeled synthetic images. According to 1News, the page published manipulated depictions of real people, including a deceased minor and bereaved parents, and dramatized emergency-related scenes in ways that could distort public understanding of local events and undermine trust in legitimate news and emergency information.
Purportedly AI-Generated Tasmania Tours Content Reportedly Misled Tourists Into Traveling to Nonexistent Weldborough Hot Springs
A purportedly AI-generated travel article on the Tasmania Tours website reportedly invented "Weldborough Hot Springs" and promoted them as a real attraction. Tourists allegedly traveled to the remote town of Weldborough in search of the site, while local businesses reportedly received repeated calls and visits from confused travelers asking how to find the nonexistent springs.
Grok Reportedly Generated False 'Unmasked' Images of ICE Agent, Purportedly Triggering Online Misidentification and Harassment in Minneapolis
After the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE officer, users on X reportedly asked Grok to "unmask" the masked agent shown in eyewitness footage. Grok reportedly generated a fabricated face that spread widely online, along with the false name "Steve Grove." The output and claim allegedly led to harassment and reputational harm against at least two uninvolved men.
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* Oct 2026, ~320 projected full year
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