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
136 incidents
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.
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.
Citation Errors in Concord Music v. Anthropic Attributed to Claude AI Use by Defense Counsel
In a legal filing in Universal Music Group et al. v. Anthropic, lawyers for Anthropic acknowledged that expert witness testimony submitted in the case contained erroneous citations generated by the company's Claude AI system. The filing stated that the inaccuracies, which included incorrect article titles and author names, were not caught during manual review. Anthropic characterized the issue as an honest mistake and apologized in court.
Judge Reportedly Disqualifies Butler Snow Lawyers Following Purported Use of ChatGPT-Fabricated Citations in Alabama Prison Litigation
Three Butler Snow attorneys defending a former Alabama corrections commissioner were reportedly disqualified after two motions cited five non-existent cases generated via ChatGPT. Judge Anna Manasco is reported to have publicly reprimanded the lawyers, referred them to the Alabama State Bar, and ordered broad disclosure; she declined to sanction the firm. An external review of 2,400 citations across 330 filings reported no further errors.
Meta AI Reportedly Generated Purportedly False Claims Linking Activist Robby Starbuck to January 6th Riot, Prompting Defamation Lawsuit
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck reportedly filed a defamation lawsuit against Meta, alleging its Meta AI chatbot published false statements claiming he participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, was arrested, denied the Holocaust, and was unfit to parent. Filed April 28, 2025, in Delaware Superior Court, the suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, citing reputational and safety harms. Meta reportedly stated it had updated its AI models to reduce inaccuracies.
Alleged AI-Generated Photo of Burning Truck in Manila Reportedly Triggered Firefighter Response
Firefighters in Manila reportedly responded to a supposed burning truck after being alerted with a photo later determined to have purportedly been AI-generated. Four fire trucks, including units from the Bureau of Fire Protection, reportedly arrived on the scene but found the vehicle intact. The false alert allegedly wasted emergency resources.