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
21 incidents
CodeWall's Autonomous Agent Reportedly Obtained Unauthorized Access to McKinsey's Lilli AI Platform Database
CodeWall reported that its autonomous agent exploited vulnerabilities in McKinsey's Lilli AI platform and obtained unauthorized read and write access to production systems, allegedly exposing internal chat messages, files, user accounts, and prompts. McKinsey confirmed the vulnerability and said it fixed the issue within hours, but said it found no evidence that client data or client confidential information were accessed.
Border Patrol Agent Allegedly Claimed Facial Recognition Identified Minneapolis ICE Observer and Global Entry Was Reportedly Revoked Three Days Later
On 01/10/2026 near Minneapolis, Minnesota, legal observer Nicole Cleland reportedly stated that a CBP Border Patrol agent stopped her vehicle, addressed her by name, and claimed agents used facial recognition to identify her while recording on body cam. She reportedly had her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck revoked on 01/13/2026, which she alleged was retaliatory intimidation, causing travel burden and chilling effects.
New Orleans Police Reportedly Used Real-Time Facial Recognition Alerts Supplied by Project NOLA Despite Local Ordinance
New Orleans police reportedly received real-time facial recognition alerts from a privately operated surveillance network run by Project NOLA, reportedly leading to dozens of arrests. This purported use of AI surveillance appears to conflict with a 2022 city ordinance that restricts facial recognition to specific post-incident investigations. Police are alleged to have not consistently disclosed the technology's use.
Purported Graphite Spyware Linked to Paragon Solutions Allegedly Deployed Against Journalists and Civil Society Workers
Researchers at Citizen Lab and Censys reportedly identified spyware infections involving Graphite, a tool attributed to Israeli firm Paragon Solutions. The spyware was allegedly deployed against civil society actors, including journalists and aid workers, through a zero-click WhatsApp exploit. WhatsApp notified over 90 targeted individuals. Evidence reportedly suggests deployments in multiple democratic countries.
Clearview AI Reportedly Faces $33.7 Million Fine for Violating GDPR with Biometric Data Harvesting
Clearview AI was reportedly fined $33.7 million by the Dutch data protection authority for allegedly creating an illegal facial recognition database by scraping billions of images from the Internet without consent. The company allegedly used AI to convert these images into biometric data and sold the service to law enforcement. This act was reportedly in violation of privacy laws and the GDPR.
Auto Insurers Allegedly Are Surreptitiously Collecting and Scoring Driver Data
The insurance industry allegedly uses AI and telematics to score drivers based on behaviors tracked by automakers and apps like Life360. Data, often collected without clear consent, may affect insurance rates and raises privacy concerns. Consumers are largely unaware of this surveillance, leading to potential misuse and discrimination based on driving habits or socioeconomic factors.
AI Romance Apps Reportedly Compromise User Privacy for Data Harvesting
AI-powered romantic chatbots, marketed for enhancing mental health, are found to exploit user privacy by harvesting sensitive personal information for data sharing and targeted ads, with inadequate security measures and consent protocols, according to research by the Mozilla Foundation.
Purported Mass Facial Recognition Program in Gaza Reportedly Used by Israeli Forces to Identify Palestinians
A previously undisclosed facial recognition initiative operated by Israeli military intelligence units was reportedly deployed across Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attacks. According to multiple intelligence officers, the program uses Corsight technology alongside Google Photos to identify individuals from checkpoints, crowds, and drone footage. The system has allegedly produced misidentifications, including the widely reported detention of Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha on November 19, 2023.
Illinois Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Against Facial Recognition Technology Companies for Allegedly Violating BIPA
A class action lawsuit was filed against several facial recognition technology companies for allegedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The defendants are accused of offering a facial recognition search engine called Pimeyes, which collects images from databases across the internet and scans them into their database seemingly without consent. This action is claimed to invade the privacy of millions of Americans. The lawsuit argues that Pimeyes lacks publicly available policies regarding data storage and deletion, in contravention of BIPA's requirements for informed written consent before collecting biometric data.
Lawyers Denied Entry to Performance Venue by Facial Recognition
Lawyers were barred from entry to Madison Square Garden after a facial recognition system matched them as employed by a law firm currently engaged in litigation with the venue.
Stable Diffusion Allegedly Used Artists' Works without Permission for AI Training
Text-to-image model Stable Diffusion was reportedly using artists' original works without permission for its AI training.
Stable Diffusion's Training Data Contained Copyrighted Images
Stability AI reportedly scraped copyrighted images by Getty Images to be used as training data for Stable Diffusion model.
A Chinese Tech Worker at Zhihu Fired Allegedly via a Resignation Risk Prediction Algorithm
The firing of an employee at Zhihu, a large Q&A platform in China, was allegedly caused by the use of a behavioral perception algorithm which claimed to predict a worker’s resignation risk using their online footprints, such as browsing history and internal communication.
Xsolla Employees Fired by CEO Allegedly via Big Data Analytics of Work Activities
Xsolla CEO fired more than a hundred employees from his company in Perm, Russia, based on big data analysis of their remote digitized-work activity, which critics said was violating employee's privacy, outdated, and extremely ineffective.
Miami Police Deployed Facial Recognition to Arrest George Floyd Protestor Allegedly without Cause
Miami Police's arrest report for a George Floyd protestor did not disclose use of facial recognition, which allegedly did not meet the legal threshold for probable cause for arrest.