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
24 incidents
Nippon Life Alleged ChatGPT Practiced Law Without a License in Illinois Disability Case
Nippon Life sued OpenAI in Chicago, alleging ChatGPT acted as an unlicensed lawyer by helping a former disability claimant reopen a settled case and generate numerous meritless filings. The insurer claimed the conduct caused legal expense and abuse-of-process harms. OpenAI said the complaint lacks merit.
Seedance 2.0 Reportedly Generated Viral Tom Cruise–Brad Pitt Fight Video, Prompting Hollywood IP and Likeness Complaints
A filmmaker reportedly used ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance 2.0 to create and post a purportedly realistic clip depicting Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt, which then circulated widely online. Industry groups and studios publicly alleged the tool enables unauthorized use of copyrighted material and performers' likeness, and at least one studio reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter. ByteDance said it respects IP and would strengthen safeguards.
OpenAI Allegedly Did Not Alert RCMP After ChatGPT Flagged Violent Chats Before British Columbia School Shooting
After the 02/10/2026 school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, OpenAI said a user later identified as the suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had previously used ChatGPT to describe scenarios involving gun violence. Those chats were reportedly auto-flagged and reviewed and the account was banned, but OpenAI says it did not alert the RCMP because it allegedly did not present a credible, imminent threat; the company reportedly contacted police after the attack.
The New York Times Sued Perplexity for Allegedly Using Copyrighted Content and Generating False Attributions
On December 5, 2025, The New York Times sued Perplexity, alleging the company used copyrighted Times articles without permission to train its AI system and generated outputs that reproduced Times content or falsely attributed fabricated information to the newspaper. The suit claims the conduct harmed the Times's business and brand. Perplexity denies wrongdoing.
Reported Disqualification of Two Books from the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Due to Alleged AI-Generated Cover Art
Organizers of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards reportedly disqualified two fiction books after it was reportedly determined their cover illustrations were produced using AI-assisted tools, rendering the works ineligible under newly introduced award criteria. The publisher reportedly confirmed AI involvement in the jacket designs. The authors were not implicated in the artwork decisions but were nonetheless removed from consideration for the 2026 running.
LLM Scrapers Allegedly Target Multiple Open Source Projects Disrupting the FOSS Ecosystem
In mid-March 2025, KDE's GitLab infrastructure was reportedly disrupted by aggressive AI web scrapers originating from Alibaba IP ranges. These bots allegedly ignored robots.txt and spoofed browser headers, which in turn purportedly overwhelmed the site and caused outages for developers. Similar incidents reportedly affected other FOSS projects like GNOME, SourceHut, and Fedora. The scraping is allegedly tied to large language model training, and reportedly imposes real costs and delays.
Polish Radio Station Replaces Human Hosts with AI-Generated Presenters to Simulate Interviewing Deceased Poet Wisława Szymborska
Polish radio station Off Radio Krakow replaced human presenters with AI-generated ones and aired a simulated interview with the deceased poet Wisława Szymborska. The AI-driven experiment aimed to attract younger listeners but led to job losses for former hosts. In response to the public backlash, the station ended its use of AI presenters.
xAI Allegedly Operates Unpermitted Methane Turbines in Memphis to Power Supercomputer Colossus to Train Grok
The xAI "Colossus" supercomputer facility in South Memphis allegedly runs 33 methane-powered turbines, despite a permit for only 15. The turbines reportedly power AI training for Grok. The facility's massive energy use and alleged unpermitted turbines reportedly produce extreme nitrogen oxide and formaldehyde emissions, adding toxic smog to a predominantly Black neighborhood already burdened by pollution and health risks.
Unauthorized AI Impersonation of George Carlin Used in Comedy Special
An AI-generated comedy special impersonating the late comedian George Carlin was created without consent from Carlin's estate. The special featured an AI mimicking Carlin's voice and style. The project, led by the AI comedy channel Dudesy, drew criticism for disrespecting Carlin's legacy and autonomy.
Fast Food Chains' AI Chatbots Failed to Assist Job Applicants with Scheduling Interviews
McDonald's, Wendy's, and Hardee's AI chatbots deployed to pre-screen job candidates and schedule interviews reportedly ran into issues such as not giving useful submission instructions, failing to relay information to the manager, and scheduling an interview when the manager was not available.
GAN Artwork Won First Place at State Fair Competition
An artwork generated using generative AI won first place in the digital arts category of the Colorado State Fair's art competition, which raised concerns surrounding labor displacement and unfair competition.
Remotely Operated Taser-Armed Drones Proposed by Taser Manufacturer as Defense for School Shootings in the US
Axon Enterprise considered development of remotely operated drones capable of tasering at a target a short distance away as a defense mechanism for mass shootings, despite its internal AI ethics board’s previous objection and condemnation as dangerous and fantastical.
Kenyan Data Annotators Reported Psychological Trauma from Labeling Graphic Text for ChatGPT Safety Systems
Sama data annotators in Nairobi, Kenya, reported lasting psychological trauma after labeling graphic sexual and violent text for OpenAI's content-moderation classifiers used in ChatGPT. Workers alleged low pay and inadequate psychological support; Sama disputed aspects of those accounts. The contract ended early, and former workers later petitioned Kenya's Parliament for stronger protections.
Coupang Allegedly Tweaked Search Algorithms to Boost Own Products
Coupang was alleged in internal reports tampering its search algorithms to prioritize exposure of its own products, which potentially violated Korea's Fair Trade Act.
Korean Internet Portal Giant Naver Manipulated Shopping and Video Search Algorithms to Favor In-House Services
The Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a 26.7B KRW on Naver for manipulating shopping and video search algorithms, favoring its own online shopping business to boost its market share.