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
314 incidents
Waymo Self-Driving Taxi Reportedly Behaved Unexpectedly, Driving away from Support Crew
A Waymo self-driving taxi car was reportedly shown on video stranded on a road in Arizona while carrying a passenger, suddenly driving away from the company's roadside assistance worker, and ended up being stuck farther down the road.
Tesla Phantom Braking Complaints Surged, Allegedly Linked to Tesla Vision Rollout
In late 2021, Tesla owners’ complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about sudden unexpected automatic braking rapidly increased, coinciding with when radar was no longer equipped in its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
Betfair's Machine-Learning Risk System Reportedly Failed to Flag Luke Ashton Before Gambling-Related Suicide in England
In England, Luke Ashton died by suicide on April 22, 2021 after a longstanding gambling disorder. A 2023 inquest and subsequent Prevention of Future Deaths report found that Betfair had assessed him as a low-risk gambler, did not meaningfully intervene between 2019 and his death, and used an algorithm that failed to flag his escalating gambling activity even as his betting intensified and his financial exposure grew.
Algorithmic Staffing Failures Linked to Resident Deaths at Leading Assisted-Living Chain Brookdale
Brookdale Senior Living's algorithm-based staffing system, "Service Alignment," reportedly left facilities understaffed, leading to critical incidents. For example, on April 21, 2021, Louise Walker, a resident at Brookdale's Jacksonville facility, died after falling and being left unattended for over two hours. State investigators cited Brookdale for medical neglect. The algorithm has been linked to multiple incidents of neglect, injuries, and deaths, prompting lawsuits.
Auto-Insurance Photo-Based Estimation Allegedly Gave Inaccurate Repair Prices Frequently
Auto-insurance companies' photo-based estimation of repair price was alleged by repair shop owners and industry groups as providing inaccurate estimates, causing damaged cars to stay in the shop longer.
How French welfare services are creating ‘robo-debt’
A French welfare office using software to automatically evaluate cases incorrectly notified a woman receiving benefits that she owed €542.
Tesla on Autopilot Crashed Parked Michigan Police Car on Interstate
A Tesla Model Y on Autopilot collided with a parked Michigan State Police (MSP) car which had its emergency lights on, in Eaton County, Michigan, although no one was injured.
Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine Reportedly Used Canvas Activity Logs to Accuse Students of Cheating
Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine reportedly used Canvas learning-management activity logs and an internal analysis process to investigate remote-exam cheating during the 2020–2021 academic year. Seventeen medical students were charged after the school inferred that they accessed course materials during exams, but students and outside technical reviewers said automated Canvas activity may have been misread as intentional misconduct. Dartmouth later dropped the charges.
Year-long AI Surveillance Pilot in Two South Australian Aged Care Facilities Reportedly Overwhelmed Staff with False Positives
Between March 2021 and March 2022, an AI-enabled video and audio monitoring system was trialed in two South Australian aged care facilities. According to an independent audit commissioned by South Australia Health, the system produced over 12,000 false alerts, overwhelming staff and contributing to at least one missed real incident. The report concluded the system did not reach accuracy levels acceptable to staff or management during the pilot.
Facebook's Automated Tools Failed to Adequately Remove Hate Speech, Violence, and Incitement
Facebook's automated moderation tools were shown by internal documents performing incomparably to human moderators, and accounting for only a small fraction of hate speech, violence, and incitement content removal.
Manufacturing Robot Failure Caused Factory Worker's Death in India
A sensor snag resulted in an automotive parts factory robot falling on a factory worker in India
Facebook’s and Twitter's Automated Content Moderation Reportedly Failed to Effectively Enforce Violation Rules for Small Language Groups
Facebook's and Twitter were not able to sufficiently moderate content of small language groups such as the Balkan languages using AI, allegedly due to the lack of investment in human moderation and difficulty in AI-solution design for the languages.
Facebook's Automated Moderation Mistakenly Flagged Landmark's Name as Offensive
Facebook's automated system mistakenly labelled posts featuring the seafaring landmark Plymouth Hoe as misogynistic.
Israeli Tax Authority Reportedly Used an Opaque Automated System to Issue a Fine, Declining to Explain or Disclose the Underlying Calculation
An Israeli farmer, Moshe Har Shemesh, reportedly received a fine generated by a Tax Authority software system whose calculation officials were allegedly unable to explain. When the farmer reportedly sought access to the program or its source code to understand the basis for the amount, the authority allegedly refused, citing security concerns and the difficulty of extracting the embedded guidelines. The dispute reportedly later moved into legal proceedings focused on whether code and automated decision rules constitute information subject to public disclosure.
Robot in Chinese Shopping Mall Fell off the Escalator, Knocking down Passengers
A shopping guide robot deployed by the Fuzhou Zhongfang Marlboro Mall was shown on video allegedly walking to the escalator by itself, falling down, and knocking over passengers, which prompted its suspension.