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
682 incidents
DALL-E 2 Reported for Gender and Racially Biased Outputs
Developers of OpenAI's DALL-E 2 cited risks of the model, varying from misuse as disinformation and explicit content generation, to gender and racial bias.
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.
Cruise Taxis' Sudden Braking Allegedly Put People at Risk
Cruise's autonomous taxis slowed suddenly, braked, and were hit from behind, allegedly becoming unexpected roadway obstacles and potentially putting passengers and other people at risk.
A Road Engineer Killed Following a Collision Involving a Tesla on Autopilot
In Taiwan, a Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot mode whose driver did not pay attention to the road collided with a road repair truck; a road engineer immediately placed crash warnings in front of the Tesla, but soon after got hit and was killed by a BMW when its driver failed to see the sign and crashed into the accident.
Starship’s Autonomous Food Delivery Robot Allegedly Stranded at Railroad Crossing in Oregon, Run over by Freight Train
A Starship food delivery robot deployed by Oregon State University reportedly failed to cross the railroad, becoming stranded, and ending up being struck by an oncoming freight train.
Collaborative Filtering Prone to Popularity Bias, Resulting in Overrepresentation of Popular Items in the Recommendation Outputs
Collaborative filtering prone to popularity bias, resulting in overrepresentation of popular items in the recommendation outputs.
TikTok's "For You" Algorithm Directed New Users towards Disinformation about the War in Ukraine
An investigation by NewsGuard into TikTok’s handling of content related to the Russia-Ukraine war showed its “For You” algorithm pushing new users towards false and misleading content about the war within less than an hour of signing up.
Google Search Reportedly Returned Fewer Results for Abortion Services in Rural Areas
Google Search reportedly returned fewer abortion clinics for searches from poorer and rural areas, particularly ones with Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws.
Honorlock's AI Proctoring System Reportedly Led Broward College to Accuse a Teenager of Cheating
During a February 2022 online biology exam, Honorlock reportedly flagged a Florida teenager taking a Broward College class as suspicious. The student denied cheating, but Broward College allegedly relied on the remote-proctoring system's flag in pursuing an academic-dishonesty accusation that the student said was unfounded.
Amazon Reportedly Sold Products and Recommended Frequently Bought Together Items That Aid Suicide Attempts
Despite complaints notifying Amazon about the sale of various products that had been used to aid suicide attempts, its recommendation system reportedly continued selling them and suggesting their frequently bought-together items.
Justice Department’s Recidivism Risk Algorithm PATTERN Allegedly Caused Persistent Disparities Along Racial Lines
Department of Justice’s inmate-recidivism risk assessment tool was reported to have produced racially uneven results, misclassifying risk levels for inmates of color.
Alleged Macy's Facial Recognition Error Leads to Wrongful Arrest and Subsequent Sexual Assault in Jail
Harvey Murphy Jr. was wrongfully accused of robbing a Sunglass Hut due to an alleged misidentification by the facial recognition system operated by Macy's. While in custody for ten days, he was sexually assaulted. He is now suing Macy's, EssilorLuxottica (Sunglass Hut's parent), and others, for $10 million.
TikTok's "For You" Algorithm Allegedly Abused by Online Personality to Promote Anti-Women Hate
TikTok’s “For You” algorithm allegedly boosted or was manipulated by an online personality to artificially boost his content which promotes extreme misogynistic views towards teenagers and men, despite breaking its rules.
Google Maps Allegedly Directed Sierra Nevada Travelers to Dangerous Roads amid Winter Storm
Lake Tahoe travelers were allegedly guided by Google Maps into hazardous shortcuts in the mountains during a snowstorm.
Alexa Recommended Dangerous TikTok Challenge to Ten-Year-Old Girl
Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa suggested “the penny challenge,” which involves dangerously touching a coin to the prongs of a half-exposed plug, when a ten-year-old girl asked for a challenge to do.