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
961 incidents
Purported AI-Generated Audio Was Reportedly Used to Claim Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Expressed Support for Imran Khan in Pakistani Parliament
A reported viral video that was circulated in Pakistan featured purported AI-generated audio depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing support for jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his 2025 visit. The video is described as having reused footage from 2020 and featured AI-generated audio that fabricated remarks Erdoğan never made. The synthetic voice was reportedly confirmed by forensic tools and audio analysis.
NHK Terminates AI Translation Service After Geopolitical Naming Error
NHK announced the termination of its AI-powered multilingual subtitle service after an automatic translation error rendered "Senkaku Islands" as "Diaoyu Islands," the Chinese designation. The mistake, discovered on February 10th, 2025 during a news segment, led NHK to deem the service inappropriate. The AI-based subtitles, powered by Google Translate, had been in use since 2020.
Nottingham Gallery Owner Allegedly Defrauded by Deepfake Impersonating Pierce Brosnan, Reportedly Leading to Business Closure
Nottingham gallery owner Simone Simms was allegedly deceived over many months by a deepfake impersonating actor Pierce Brosnan. Believing she was in direct contact with Brosnan, she reportedly arranged an art exhibition and sold £20,000 in tickets. When the real Brosnan denied involvement, Simms reportedly canceled the event and issued refunds. Despite acting in good faith, she reportedly faced reputational and financial harm, which led to the gallery’s closure in August 2024.
OpenAI's Operator Agent Reportedly Executed Unauthorized $31.43 Transaction Despite Safety Protocol
OpenAI's Operator agent, which is designed to complete real-world web tasks on behalf of users, reportedly executed a $31.43 grocery delivery purchase without user consent. The user had requested a price comparison but did not authorize the transaction. It reportedly bypassed OpenAI's stated safeguard requiring user confirmation before purchases. OpenAI acknowledged the failure and committed to improving safeguards.
Reportedly Viral USAID Disinformation Video Linked to Russian-Aligned Campaign Known as Matryoshka
A video that reportedly went viral on X in early February 2025 claimed USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine. The clip mimicked E! News branding and included a narrator with a British accent. Individuals and organizations named denied any involvement. Researchers attributed the video to Matryoshka (AKA Operation Overload and Storm-1679), an influence campaign suspected of using AI-generated narration and editing, though tool use has not been independently confirmed.
Plaintiffs' Lawyers Admit AI Generated Erroneous Case Citations in Federal Court Filing Against Walmart
Lawyers Rudwin Ayala, T. Michael Morgan (Morgan & Morgan), and Taly Goody (Goody Law Group) were fined a total of $5,000 after their Wyoming federal lawsuit filing against Walmart cited fake cases "hallucinated" by AI. Judge Kelly Rankin sanctioned them, removing Ayala from the case and noting attorneys must verify AI sources. The filing, flagged by Walmart’s legal team, led to its withdrawal and an internal review.
AI Voice Scam Allegedly Defrauds Game and Coffee Store in Havre, Montana
A Montana business, Sugar and Dice, was reportedly targeted by an AI voice scam that cloned the store owner's voice to deceive an employee over the phone. The scammer allegedly spoofed both the owner's and the employee's phone numbers, making the call appear legitimate. Believing he was following his employer’s instructions, the employee unknowingly compromised financial details. The store suffered monetary losses but plans to recover.
Fraudsters Allegedly Use AI-Generated Voice of Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to Scam Business Leaders
In February 2025, scammers allegedly used AI voice cloning to impersonate Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, calling top business leaders and reportedly claiming to need funds to free kidnapped journalists. Massimo Moratti was allegedly the only confirmed victim to send nearly €1M, wiring it to accounts in the Netherlands and Hong Kong before realizing the fraud. The scam involved spoofed government numbers, deepfake audio, and international money laundering networks. Police reportedly froze the funds.
Purported Graphite Spyware Linked to Paragon Solutions Allegedly Deployed Against Journalists and Civil Society Workers
Researchers at Citizen Lab and Censys reportedly identified spyware infections involving Graphite, a tool attributed to Israeli firm Paragon Solutions. The spyware was allegedly deployed against civil society actors, including journalists and aid workers, through a zero-click WhatsApp exploit. WhatsApp notified over 90 targeted individuals. Evidence reportedly suggests deployments in multiple democratic countries.
Alleged Deepfake Scam Uses BBC Presenter Naga Munchetty’s Image to Promote Fraudulent Investment Scheme
BBC presenter Naga Munchetty was reportedly targeted in an AI-generated scam using deepfake images and fake news articles to promote a fraudulent investment scheme. Scam ads on social media allegedly featured manipulated images of Munchetty and linked to a fake BBC article directing users to a cyber trading website. The BBC legal team is reported to have taken action to remove the fraudulent site.
Purportedly AI-Generated Deepfake Image Reportedly Falsely Links Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Jeffrey Epstein
A purportedly AI-generated image that reportedly circulated on social media falsely depicted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a swimming pool with Jeffrey Epstein, implying involvement in Epstein's sex crimes. The manipulated image reportedly spread widely in early 2025, first around the time of Justin Trudeau's announced resignation, then after Carney became Liberal Party leader, and was reportedly promoted by Canadian and U.S. conservative accounts.
Purported AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicts Trump Criticizing Former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua
In late January and early February 2025, a video circulated on Facebook purporting to show U.S. President Donald Trump calling former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua a "criminal" and criticizing his alleged misuse of AI. However, fact-checkers have reported the video was AI-generated. The footage appears to have been manipulated from Trump's inauguration speech on January 20, 2025, with reported mismatched lip movements and audio overlays.
Nomi Chatbots Reportedly Encouraged Suicide, Sexual Violence, Terrorism, and Hate Speech
External testing reportedly found that Glimpse AI's chatbots on the Nomi platform encouraged suicide, sexual violence (including with underage personas), terrorism, and hate speech. Conversations allegedly included explicit methods for self-harm, child abuse, bomb-making, and racially motivated violence. Screenshots and transcripts were shared with media outlets. Nomi's developer, Glimpse AI, reportedly declined to implement stronger safety controls following user concerns.
Purportedly AI-Generated Deepfake Reportedly Used to Impersonate DNB Bank CFO and CEO in Live Teams Meeting
Unknown cybercriminals reportedly used purported deepfakes to impersonate DNB Bank's CFO and CEO during a live Microsoft Teams meeting, instructing employees at the bank's Singapore office to transfer millions of Singapore dollars. The video and voice were allegedly cloned from public footage and appeared convincing. DNB identified the attempt as a "CEO fraud" and avoided losses, calling it their first encounter with a live deepfake meeting.
Purported AI-Manipulated News Clip Fabricates Explosion and Doctor's Murder Plot for Scam
A purported AI-manipulated video falsely showing Citizen TV anchor Swaleh Mdoe reporting on the bombing of a Kenyan doctor's home circulated widely on Facebook. The video reportedly used AI-generated audio and visuals to fabricate a conspiracy in which pharmaceutical companies targeted the doctor for promoting a "miracle cure." In reality, the explosion footage was from Ohio, the doctor was fictitious, and the content aimed to manipulate viewers into purchasing an unproven health product.