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
Chess-Playing Robot Broke Child's Finger in Russia
A chess robot at a tournament in Russia broke the finger of a child who reached onto the board before the robot had completed its move
AI-Enabled TruDi Navigation System Was Alleged to Have Contributed to Patient's Stroke During June 2022 Sinus Procedure
Patient Erin Ralph allegedly suffered carotid-artery injury and a stroke after a June 23, 2022 sinus procedure in Texas in which surgeon Marc Dean reportedly used Acclarent's AI-enabled TruDi Navigation System. Ralph's lawsuit alleged TruDi misinformed Dean about the instrument's position inside her head; Acclarent and Integra LifeSciences, which later acquired Acclarent, reportedly denied a causal connection.
Cruise AV Ran Over Fire Hose in Active Fire Scene
A Cruise AV ran over a fire hose that was being used in an active firefighting area.
False Negatives for Water Quality-Associated Beach Closures
Toronto’s use of AI predictive modeling (AIPM) which had replaced existing methodology as the only determiner of beach water quality raised concerns about its accuracy, after allegedly conflicting results were found by a local water advocacy group using traditional means.
Cruise’s Self-Driving Car Involved in a Multiple-Injury Collision at an San Francisco Intersection
A Cruise autonomous vehicle was involved in a crash at an intersection in San Francisco when making a left turn in front of a Toyota Prius traveling in an opposite direction, which caused occupants in both cars to sustain injuries.
Cruise's Self-Driving Cars Allegedly Lost Connection to Their Server, Causing Traffic Blockages in San Francisco
Cruise’s autonomous vehicles were shown on video stopping in the middle of the road and causing blockages in San Francisco, as they were disabled allegedly due to lost connection to their company’s server.
Fatal Crash Involving Tesla Full Self-Driving Claims Employee's Life
A Tesla employee, Hans von Ohain, was killed in a crash while allegedly using the Full Self-Driving feature. The car failed to navigate mountain curves, leading to a fatal collision, possibly making von Ohain the first known fatality of the Full Self-Driving feature.
Amazon Fresh Cameras Failed to Register Purchased Items
Amazon Fresh's system of tracking cameras in its cashier-less stores was reported by shoppers for failing to detect items they purchased.
Tesla Owner Activated "Smart Summon" Feature, Causing a Collision with an Aircraft in a Washington Airport
A Tesla Model Y was shown on video slowly crashing into a Vision Jet in Spokane, Washington, allegedly due to its owner activating the “Smart Summon” feature.
Google’s Assistive Writing Feature Provided Allegedly Unnecessary and Clumsy Suggestions
Google’s “inclusive language” feature prompting writers to consider alternatives to non-inclusive words reportedly also recommend alternatives for words such as “landlord” and “motherboard,” which critics said was a form of obtrusive, unnecessary, and bias-reinforcing speech-policing.
TuSimple Truck Steered into Interstate Freeway Divide
A TuSimple autonomous truck operating with backup drivers behind the wheel operated on an outdated command sequence and suddenly veered into the center divide on the interstate freeway.
Cruise Autonomous Car Blocked Fire Truck Responding to Emergency
A fire truck in San Francisco responding to a fire was blocked from passing a doubled-parked garbage truck by a self-driving Cruise car on the opposing lane which stayed put and did not reverse to clear the lane.
Starship Delivery Robot Ran into Problems Traversing Campus Terrains
A Starship autonomous delivery robot struggled to navigate campus terrains of UCLA, reportedly getting stuck into a planter and falling off the stairs.
Cruise Autonomous Taxi Allegedly Bolted off from Police After Being Pulled over in San Francisco
An autonomous Chevy Bolt operated by Cruise was pulled over in San Francisco, and as the police attempted to engage with the car, it reportedly bolted off, pulled over again, and put on its hazards lights on at a point farther down the road.
Evolv AI Weapons Detection System Allegedly Misrepresents Accuracy, Leading to School Security Gaps
Evolv's AI-powered weapons scanners were advertised as superior to metal detectors but reportedly failed to detect actual weapons while generating excessive false positives. The FTC alleged that misleading claims about the system's accuracy and speed contributed to schools relying on unreliable detection, with at least one incident in October 2022 involving a missed knife that resulted in a student being stabbed.