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
253 incidents
Yale Student Suspended and Given F After GPTZero Allegedly Misclassified Exam as AI-Generated
In 2024, Yale University reportedly used GPTZero as one factor in investigating whether Executive MBA student Thierry Rignol used AI on an exam. Rignol reportedly denied cheating and alleged the detector falsely classified his writing as AI-generated. Yale reportedly later suspended him for a year and gave him an F, while citing additional evidence and his conduct during the investigation. Rignol has challenged the process in federal court.
Flock Safety License-Plate Reader Reportedly Misread Plate, Leading Toledo, Ohio, Police to Stop Motorist at Gunpoint and Deploy K-9
Toledo, Ohio, police stopped motorist Brandon Upchurch at gunpoint after a Flock Safety license-plate reader incorrectly matched his truck to a stolen plate. Officers released a K-9 that bit him and arrested him. Police later said the alert was a misread; one officer was reprimanded for failing to verify the plate, and all charges against Upchurch were later dropped.
Former Coffee County, Georgia, Deputy Allegedly Used Flock Safety License-Plate Reader System to Track Woman
Coffee County, Georgia, prosecutors allege former sheriff's deputy Chris Ashley Rozar used the department's Flock Safety license-plate reader system and other law-enforcement databases for personal purposes, including tracking and surveilling a woman without her consent in April–May 2024. A 2026 grand-jury indictment charged him with stalking, computer invasion of privacy, misuse of captured license-plate data, and violation of oath.
Purportedly AI-Powered 007TG Platform Reportedly Used by Scam Networks Linked to $75 Million in Proceeds
007TG was a software suite reportedly used by scam compounds to run fraud across social media, using AI-assisted messaging and translation to help operators manage targets while concealing their identities. Wallet records linked the platform to at least four known scam networks that collectively received at least $75 million, though the evidence does not show how much was directly attributable to 007TG.
Dozens of Dutch Women, Including Politicians and Public Figures, Were Reportedly Targeted With AI-Manipulated Deepfake Pornography
Dutch reporting in March 2024 identified roughly 70–80 prominent women, including politicians, presenters, athletes, celebrities, and members of the royal family, as reportedly depicted in pornographic deepfake videos made by using AI to place their faces on performers' bodies. Some videos had more than 100,000 views. Several women said they had not known the videos existed and filed or planned police reports.
York County, South Carolina, Deputies Reportedly Held Local Motorist at Gunpoint After Flock Safety License-Plate Reader Misread
Steven Melvin, a 42-year-old York County, South Carolina, motorist was reportedly detained at gunpoint for more than five minutes after a Flock Safety automated license-plate reader misidentified the first letter of his plate and matched his BMW to a similar stolen vehicle. The sheriff’s office later said an illegal tinted plate cover caused the malfunction and found the deputy’s actions “reasonable”; Flock said alerts should be independently verified before enforcement.
Kansas Couple Reportedly Stopped Twice in Kansas and Oklahoma After Flock Safety Alerts Linked Their Plate Number to a Stolen Vehicle
Matthew and Leah Spurlock were reportedly stopped in Colwich, Kansas, and about a month later in Catoosa, Oklahoma, after Flock Safety cameras associated their KU alumni plate 7007 with a stolen GMC pickup bearing a temporary Kansas tag with the same number. Colwich police quickly resolved the first stop; in Catoosa, the couple said officers drew guns and handcuffed Matthew. Wichita police said Flock reads plate characters but not plate type.
Scammers Reportedly Used Deepfake Videos to Blackmail a TikTok User Posting About Bhutan
A TikTok user who posted about missing Bhutan while living abroad reportedly faced blackmail involving manipulated videos described as deepfakes. Scammers allegedly sent the videos to some of his contacts after he initially dismissed their threats. The episode reportedly caused distress. The AI tool and his country of residence were not identified.
Milwaukee Police Detective Allegedly Used Flock Safety License-Plate Reader 20 Times to Track Two People in Violation of Department Policy
A Milwaukee County criminal complaint alleges that Police Detective Tehrangi Chapman used Flock Safety license-plate readers 20 times to track two people from January 2024 to January 2025, entering "test" or "training" as search reasons. The complaint says Chapman later admitted using Flock to track both people in violation of Milwaukee Police Department policy. He was charged with misconduct in public office; a separate count concerned an unauthorized GPS tracker.
AI Was Reportedly Used to Create a Nonconsensual Pornographic Video Depicting a Bhutanese Woman in New Zealand
A pornographic video with the face of a Bhutanese woman living in New Zealand superimposed using AI was reportedly posted online without her consent. She described embarrassment and psychological distress. After contacting police in Bhutan and New Zealand, she said she used StopNCII.org, a service for limiting nonconsensual intimate-image sharing, and could no longer find the video online.
NewsBreak Reportedly Published AI-Assisted Articles Containing Purportedly False Local and Community-Service Information
NewsBreak reportedly published AI-assisted local articles containing purportedly false information, including a fabricated Christmas shooting in Bridgeton, New Jersey, incorrect Food to Power distribution times that caused people to be turned away, and nonexistent Harvest912 foot-care clinics. NewsBreak said the errors originated in source material and removed the articles after complaints. The specific AI models and the extent to which they contributed to the inaccuracies were not identified.
Pennsylvania's Lancaster Country Day School Students Allegedly Used AI to Create Hundreds of Sexualized Deepfake Images of Girls
From November 2023 through May 2024, two Lancaster Country Day School students in Pennsylvania allegedly used AI tools to create and exchange hundreds of sexualized deepfake images depicting female classmates and other girls. Authorities later identified 60 victims, 59 of them minors. The students were adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court, and families later sued the school and unnamed AI companies over the incident.
Anthropic Allegedly Copied Copyrighted Song Lyrics Without Permission to Train Claude
Music publishers alleged that Anthropic copied copyrighted song lyrics without permission to train Claude and that Claude reproduced protected lyrics in its outputs. Anthropic denied infringement and has argued that its training use is fair use. Publishers alleged that the conduct deprived rightsholders and songwriters of licensing control and revenue and undermined markets for licensed lyrics.
Harris County, Texas, Deputies Reportedly Detained Two 19-Year-Olds at Gunpoint After Flock Safety License-Plate Reader Detected Different Stolen Camaro
In Cypress, Texas, sheriff's deputies reportedly held two 19-year-old men at gunpoint and handcuffed them after Flock Safety cameras detected the plate of a stolen Camaro linked to robberies. An undercover unit then spotted a similar Camaro but could not read its plate; after the detention, deputies realized it was the wrong car. One man reported cuts and scrapes after being pushed to the ground.
Flock Safety License-Plate Reader Reportedly Misread Plate Digit, Prompting Gunpoint Stop of Two Sisters in Española, New Mexico
In July 2023, Española police stopped Jaclynn Gonzales and her 12-year-old sister after a Flock Safety license-plate reader reportedly read the final digit of Gonzales's plate as 7 rather than 2, matching a stolen plate. Body-camera reporting showed officers drew guns and handcuffed both before confirming the mismatch. The sisters later sued; Española police said officers followed procedure.