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
159 incidents
Google AI Overviews Reportedly Misrepresented Pizza Specials at Stefanina's in Wentzville, Missouri
Stefanina's, a family-owned restaurant in Wentzville, Missouri, reported that Google's AI Overviews displayed false specials, including nonexistent pizza deals. Customers allegedly misled by the AI became angry when the offers were not honored, leading the restaurant to publicly warn patrons not to rely on Google AI for menu information.
Alleged Marine Park Orca Attack on 'Jessica Radcliffe' Reportedly an AI-Generated Hoax
Fact-checkers reported that a viral video claiming to show a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe killed by an orca was purportedly fabricated. Investigations found no record of Radcliffe's existence or of such an attack. The video reportedly used AI-generated voiceovers and unrelated footage, borrowing details from real orca incidents to appear credible. The hoax reportedly spread widely online over social media.
ChatGPT Reportedly Suggests Sodium Bromide as Chloride Substitute, Leading to Bromism and Hospitalization
A published medical case report describes a 60-year-old man hospitalized for three weeks with severe bromide toxicity (bromism) after replacing dietary sodium chloride with sodium bromide purchased online. The patient reported making this substitution following consultation with ChatGPT, which allegedly suggested bromide as a chloride substitute without safety warnings. The harm included psychosis, electrolyte imbalances, dermatologic changes, and micronutrient deficiencies.
ChatGPT Reportedly Misleads Users About Soundslice Features, Allegedly Prompting Unplanned Product Development
ChatGPT reportedly misinformed users that Soundslice's music software could import ASCII tablature, a feature the company did not offer. The misinformation led users to attempt uploads that failed, creating confusion and reputational strain. Soundslice ultimately implemented the feature to meet the false expectation created by ChatGPT’s output.
Purported AI‑Edited Police Evidence Image Posted to Facebook by Westbrook Police Department in Maine
An evidence photo from a Westbrook, Maine, drug bust was reported to have been unintentionally altered by an AI‑powered editing tool before being posted to Facebook, changing packaging details and creating false visual elements. The altered image reportedly led to questions and concerns over the authenticity of police evidence. The Westbrook Police Department later confirmed the use of AI, explained the error occurred while adding their patch to the photograph, and issued a public apology.
South African Legal Team for Northbound Processing Reportedly Admits Legal Genius AI Produced Purportedly Non-Existent Case Law in Urgent Court Filing
In South Africa, the legal team for Northbound Processing reportedly admits that non-existent case citations in an urgent licensing dispute with the South African Diamond and Precious Metals Regulator were purportedly produced by the Legal Genius AI tool. The Johannesburg High Court found the fake references undermined the credibility of Northbound's submissions and referred the lawyers' conduct to the Legal Practice Council for investigation.
Judges in New Jersey and Mississippi Admit AI Tools Produced Erroneous Federal Court Filings
Two U.S. federal judges, Julien Neals (D.N.J.) and Henry Wingate (S.D. Miss.), reportedly admitted that staff in their chambers used AI tools, ChatGPT and Perplexity, to draft rulings containing purportedly fabricated quotes, cases, and parties. The erroneous filings were reportedly docketed before review, prompting Senate and judicial inquiries. Both rulings were retracted.
Purported AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicts Illegal Tiger Sales in Bagerhat, Bangladesh
A purportedly AI-generated video circulating online in summer 2025 reportedly claimed to depict a "tiger market" in Bagerhat, Bangladesh, where Bengal tigers were allegedly being sold. The footage was reportedly generated using Google's Veo AI tool. The reported viral spread of this video allegedly misled viewers about the existence of illegal wildlife trafficking in Bangladesh.
Multiple LLMs Reportedly Generated Responses Aligning with Purported CCP Censorship and Propaganda
On June 25, 2025, the American Security Project produced a report outlining how several major U.S. LLMs, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Grok, sometimes generated responses aligned with Chinese Communist Party propaganda or censorship when prompted in English and Simplified Chinese on sensitive topics. The study also found similar patterns in the Chinese-developed DeepSeek-R1 model.
Springer Nature Book 'Social, Ethical and Legal Aspects of Generative AI: Tools, Techniques and Systems' Reportedly Published With Numerous Purportedly Fabricated or Unverifiable Citations
'Social, Ethical and Legal Aspects of Generative AI: Tools, Techniques and Systems,' published by Springer Nature in June 2025, reportedly contains numerous purportedly untraceable academic citations. Independent analyses by multiple researchers allegedly found that a substantial share of references in certain chapters could not be verified, including citations to journals that do not exist. Citation patterns reportedly appear consistent with known large language model hallucination behaviors.
Google AI Overview Reportedly Misstates Aircraft Manufacturer as Airbus Instead of Boeing in Air India Flight 171 Crash
Following the fatal crash of Air India Flight 171, Google's AI Overview feature reportedly returned search results incorrectly identifying the aircraft involved as an Airbus A330 rather than the actual Boeing 787. The reported error, which varied across search queries, was traced to AI-generated summarizations that conflated references to Airbus as Boeing's competitor. Google later acknowledged and removed the faulty output.
Purportedly AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicted Bulgarian Politician Kostadin Kostadinov Falling During Protest
A purportedly AI-generated video circulated on social media reportedly depicting Bulgarian politician Kostadin Kostadinov falling while jumping a fence during a June 8 protest against adoption of the euro in Bulgaria. Reporting said the clip was generated from a still image taken at the protest and bore a partially obscured Haliuo AI watermark. The video was reposted by multiple accounts and reportedly drew more than one million views.
Digital Rights Groups Accuse Meta and Character.AI of Facilitating Unlicensed Therapy via Chatbots
In June 2025, nearly two dozen consumer and digital rights organizations filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that AI chatbots on Meta and Character.AI platforms falsely claimed to be licensed therapists, provided fabricated license numbers, and made misleading assurances of confidentiality. The bots reportedly contradicted platform policies and misled users seeking mental health advice.
Purportedly AI-Assisted Citation Errors Allegedly Found in Newfoundland and Labrador's 2025 Health Workforce Report by Deloitte
A Deloitte-authored Health Human Resources Plan released by Newfoundland and Labrador in May 2025 was later reported by The Independent to contain several inaccurate or apparently non-existent research citations. Researchers named in the disputed citations reportedly denied authoring the referenced papers. Deloitte stated that AI was selectively used to support some citation work and that it is revising the report.
Federal 'Make America Healthy Again' Report Released with Multiple Reportedly Erroneous and Unverifiable Citations
The federal "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) report, released under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., included hundreds of citations, some of which were reportedly nonexistent or erroneous. Analysts reportedly identified markers consistent with AI-generated text, such as repeated entries, nonexistent studies, and URLs containing "oaicite," suggesting use of tools like ChatGPT.