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
Grok AI Chatbot Reportedly Spreads Unfounded Rumors About Trump’s Dentures
Grok, X’s AI-powered chatbot, reportedly spread unsubstantiated claims about former President Trump’s alleged dentures during his interview with Elon Musk. The AI-generated summary is alleged to have falsely stated that Trump’s speech issues were due to missing dentures, despite no evidence. The post was quickly removed, but the incident is an example of concerns over Grok's tendency to amplify misinformation.
Reported Glitch in Waymo Self-Driving Cars Purportedly Triggers Regular All-Night Honking in San Francisco
Waymo self-driving cars in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood reportedly began honking at each other late at night, disturbing residents' sleep. The autonomous vehicles, reportedly using a parking lot for ride pauses, triggered honking due to a purported glitch in their algorithms. Despite residents' complaints, the issue allegedly persisted for weeks until Waymo acknowledged the problem and began working on a fix.
Apple Intelligence Allegedly Flags Scam Messages as High Priority
Apple’s AI notification summarization and prioritization feature, part of the Apple Intelligence update, has reportedly flagged scam and phishing messages as high-priority, and is allegedly misleading users into trusting fraudulent communications. By rephrasing and condensing messages, the system is allegedly amplifying scam risks inadvertently and reportedly increasing the likelihood of financial harm for users.
Reported AI-Manipulated Video Depicts Donald Trump Endorsing Peter Obi and Criticizing Bola Tinubu
A widely circulated video reportedly falsely depicts Donald Trump endorsing Nigerian politician Peter Obi and criticizing President Bola Tinubu. FactCheckAfrica confirmed the video was false, originally sourced from a 2017 U.S. presidential interview about Trump's first 100 days in office. AI-generated audio and altered visuals were reportedly used to fabricate a politically charged statement unrelated to the original content.
AI-Generated Fake 'True Crime' Video About Non-Existent Littleton Murder Goes Viral
An AI-generated "true crime" video on YouTube falsely depicted a Littleton man's "secret gay love affair" and murder by his stepson. The 25-minute video, which garnered nearly 2 million views, fabricated details and used deepfake technology to deceive viewers into believing the story was real. Despite being flagged as false by local authorities and lacking credible sources, the video sparked widespread misinformation and outrage online.
TikTok Network Amplifies AI-Generated Nazi Propaganda and Hate Speech
A coordinated neo-Nazi network on TikTok used AI-generated media, including Hitler speeches, to spread Nazi propaganda and extremist content, violating TikTok’s hate speech policies. The network evaded platform moderation through coded language, imagery, and music, with some accounts accumulating millions of views. TikTok’s algorithm further amplified the reach of this content, despite community guidelines.
SearchGPT Reportedly Misleads Users with Incorrect Festival Dates in Demo
OpenAI’s prototype AI tool, SearchGPT, provided incorrect dates for An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, North Carolina during a demonstration video. The AI listed dates that were incorrect, potentially misleading users planning to attend the event, but also harming the reputation of OpenAI as the incident occurred during a high-profile event.
AI Chatbots Reportedly Inaccurately Conveyed Real-Time Political News
Over a week of back-to-back, significant breaking political news stories, including the Trump rally shooting and Biden’s campaign withdrawal, AI chatbots reportedly failed to provide accurate real-time updates. Most chatbots gave incorrect or outdated information, demonstrating their current limitations in handling fast-paced news. These incidents suggest the continuing need for improved AI capabilities and caution in their deployment for real-time news dissemination.
False Election Data on Kamala Harris Reportedly Circulated via Grok AI Chatbot
After President Joe Biden stepped aside as a presidential candidate on July 21, 2024, the AI chatbot Grok on X reportedly falsely informed users that Vice President Kamala Harris missed the ballot deadline in nine states. This misinformation, which spread widely on social media, prompted secretaries of state from five U.S. states to urge Elon Musk to address the problem.
Fatalities Reportedly Occur Despite VioGén Algorithm's Low or Negligible Risk Scores
The VioGén algorithm was designed to help Spanish police assess and prioritize the risk of repeat domestic violence incidents. However, its low-risk assessment of Lobna Hemid reportedly led to inadequate protection; her husband murdered her. Since 2007, 247 women have been killed after being assessed by VioGén. A review of 98 homicides found that 55 of the slain women were scored as negligible or low risk.
Gemini AI Allegedly Reads Google Drive Files Without Explicit User Consent
Kevin Bankston, a privacy activist, claims that Google's Gemini AI scans private Google Drive PDFs without explicit user consent. Bankston reports that after using Gemini on one document, the AI continues to access similar files automatically. Google disputes these claims, stating that Gemini requires proactive user activation and operates within privacy-preserving settings.
Taranaki, New Zealand Resident Allegedly Defrauded of $224K in Bitcoin Scam Using Deepfake of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
A Taranaki, New Zealand resident allegedly lost $224,000 in a Bitcoin scam involving a deepfake video reportedly depicting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The AI-generated video, shared on Facebook, purportedly promoted cryptocurrency investments targeting superannuitants. Scammers posing as financial advisers reportedly gained remote access to the victim’s computer and created accounts to facilitate the transfer of funds.
Grok AI Model Reportedly Fails to Produce Reliable News in Wake of Trump Assassination Attempt
xAI's model Grok, intended to automate news delivery on the X platform, is reported to have struggled to provide accurate information during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Grok apparently issued incorrect headlines, including false reports about Vice President Kamala Harris being shot and misidentifying the alleged shooter. These errors show the pitfalls of relying on AI for real-time news aggregation, as it allegedly amplified unverified claims and failed to recognize sarcasm, undermining its reliability.
NullBulge's AI-Powered Malware Allegedly Compromises Disney Employee and Internal Data
A Disney employee, Matthew Van Andel, reportedly downloaded AI-powered malware allegedly developed by the cybercriminal group NullBulge, resulting in a major cybersecurity breach. Hackers purportedly accessed Disney's Slack system, exposing 44 million internal messages, employee and customer data, and financial records. NullBulge also reportedly leaked Van Andel’s personal financial information, leading to identity theft and his eventual termination.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) AI Systems Allegedly Discriminate Against Single Mothers
Researchers have argued that the Department for Work and Pensions' Universal Credit system disproportionately impacts single mothers. Automated processes in the system, designed to determine eligibility and detect fraud, are reported to have introduced biases, leading to financial instability and hardship. The algorithms allegedly miscalculate earnings and delay childcare reimbursements, in turn exacerbating income volatility and debt among single mothers.