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
Frontline workers protest at Stanford after hospital distributed vaccine to administrators
In 2020, Stanford Medical Center's distribution algorithm only designated 7 of 5,000 vaccines to Medical Residents, who are frontline workers regularly exposed to COVID-19.
Brand Safety Tech Firms Falsely Claimed Use of AI, Blocking Ads Using Simple Keyword Lists
Brand safety tech firms falsely claimed use of AI, blocking ads using simple keyword lists.
Poachers Evaded AI Cameras and Killed Four Rhinos
AI cameras installed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife failed to detect poachers when four dehorned rhino carcasses were found.
Facebook Mistakenly Blocked Small Business Ads
Facebook’s AI mistakenly blocked advertisements by small and struggling businesses, after the company allegedly leaned more on algorithms to monitor ads on the platform with little review from human moderators.
Autonomous Roborace Car Drove Directly into a Wall
An autonomous Roborace car drove itself into a wall in round one of the Season Beta 1.1 race.
OpenAI’s GPT-3 Reported as Unviable in Medical Tasks by Healthcare Firm
The French digital care company, Nabla, in researching GPT-3’s capabilities for medical documentation, diagnosis support, and treatment recommendation, found its inconsistency and lack of scientific and medical expertise unviable and risky in healthcare applications. This incident has been downgraded to an issue as it does not meet current ingestion criteria.
AI mistakes referee’s bald head for football — hilarity ensued
In a Scottish soccer match the AI-enabled ball-tracking camera used to livestream the game repeatedly tracked an official’s bald head as though it were the soccer ball.
Tesla Autopilot Mistakes Red Letters on Flag for Red Traffic Lights
A Tesla Model 3 misidentified flags with "COOP" written vertically on them as traffic lights.
Tesla Disabled “Rolling Stop” Functionality Associated with the “Aggressive” Driving Mode
The “rolling stop” functionality within the “Aggressive” Full Self Driving (FSD) profile that was released via a Tesla firmware update was recalled and disabled.
AI attempts to ease fear of robots, blurts out it can’t ‘avoid destroying humankind’
On September 8, 2020, the Guardian published an op-ed generated by OpenAI’s GPT-3 text generating AI that included threats to destroy humankind. This incident has been downgraded to an issue as it does not meet current ingestion criteria.
Ireland's 2020 Leaving Certificate Calculated-Grades Model Reportedly Issued Incorrect Scores to Thousands of Students
After Covid-19 disrupted the 2020 Leaving Certificate exams, Ireland's Department of Education and Skills used a calculated-grades model to issue student results on September 7. The Department later confirmed coding errors in how the model handled Junior Cycle data, resulting in incorrect grades. About 6,100 students received upgraded results, and college-offer eligibility had to be reassessed.
Facebook’s Algorithm Mistook an Advertisement of Onions as Sexual Suggestive Content
Facebook’s content moderation algorithm misidentified and removed a Canadian business’s advertisement containing a photo of onions as products of overtly sexual content, which was later reinstated after review.
Amazon’s Robotic Fulfillment Centers Have Higher Serious Injury Rates
Amazon’s robotic fulfillment centers have higher serious injury rates.
Colorado Police’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Matched a Family’s Minivan’s Plate to That of a Stolen Vehicle Allegedly, Resulting in Detainment at Gunpoint
An automated plate reader reportedly matched a license plate information, but of a family’s minivan and an alleged motorcycle in Montana that was reportedly stolen earlier in the year, resulting in them and their children being held at gunpoint and detained in handcuffs by multiple Aurora police officers.
International Baccalaureate’s 2020 Calculated-Grades Model Reportedly Lowered Students' Scores and College Prospects
After Covid-19 canceled May 2020 exams, the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate reportedly used a calculated-grades model based on coursework, predicted grades, and historical school results to estimate final marks. Students, parents, and teachers reportedly said the opaque model produced unexpectedly low scores, threatening university admissions, scholarships, and study plans across multiple countries.