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
Defamation via AutoComplete
Google's autocomplete feature alongside its image search results resulted in the defamation of people and businesses.
2010 Market Flash Crash
A modified algorithm was able to cause dramatic price volatility and disrupted trading in the US stock exchange.
Algorithmic Teacher Evaluation Program Reportedly Failed to Improve Student Outcomes and Was Alleged to Have Harmed Teachers
Gates Foundation-funded Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative's algorithmic program to assess teacher performance reportedly failed to achieve its goals for student outcomes, particularly for minority students, and was criticized for potentially causing harm against teachers.
Unverified Misreading by Automated Plate Reader Led to Traffic Stop and Restraint of an Innocent Person at Gunpoint in California
In San Francisco, an automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera misread a number as belonging to a stolen vehicle having the wrong make, but its photo was not visually confirmed by the police due to poor quality and allegedly despite multiple chances prior to making a traffic stop, causing an innocent person to be pulled over at gunpoint and restrained in handcuffed.
IRS Audited Black Taxpayers More Frequently Reportedly Due to Algorithm
The IRS was auditing Black taxpayers more frequently than other groups allegedly due to the design of their algorithms, focusing on easier-to-conduct audits which inadvertently correlated with the group's pattern of tax filing errors.
Machine Personal Assistants Failed to Maintain Social Norms
During an experiment of software personal assistants at the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at the University of Southern California (USC), researchers found that the assistants violated the privacy of their principals and were unable to respect the social norms of the office.
Algorithm Assessing Risk Faced by Victims of Gender Violence Misclassified Low-Risk Cases, Allegedly Leading to Homicide of Women and Children in Spain
In Spain, the algorithm that assesses recidivism risk in gender violence, VioGén, has allegedly critically underestimated the level of risk in a series of cases that ended in homicide of women and children since its first deployment.
Automated Adult Content Detection Tools Showed Bias against Women Bodies
Automated content moderation tools to detect sexual explicitness or "raciness" reportedly exhibited bias against women bodies, resulting in suppression of reach despite not breaking platform policies.
Virginia Courts’ Algorithmic Recidivism Risk Assessment Failed to Lower Incarceration Rates
Virginia courts’ use of algorithmic predictions of future offending risks were found by researchers failing to reduce incarceration rates, showed racial and age disparities in risk scores and its application, and neither exacerbated or ameliorated historical racial differences in sentencing.
Target Suggested Maternity-Related Advertisements to a Teenage Girl's Home, Allegedly Correctly Predicting Her Pregnancy via Algorithm
Target recommended maternity-related items to a family in Atlanta via ads, allegedly predicting their teenage daughter’s pregnancy before her father did, although critics have called into question the predictability of the algorithm and the authenticity of its claims.
Patriot Missile System Misclassified US Navy Aircraft, Killing Pilot Upon Approval to Fire
US Navy's Patriot missile system misidentified an American Navy F/A-18C Hornet as an enemy projectile, prompting an operator to fire two missiles at the aircraft, which killed the pilot.
US Air Force's Patriot Missile Mistakenly Launched at Ally Fighter Jet, Killing Two
Acting on the recommendation of their Patriot missile system, American Air Force mistakenly launched the missile at an ally UK Tornado fighter jet, which killed two crew members on board.
Kidney Testing Method Allegedly Underestimated Risk of Black Patients
Decades-long use of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) method to test kidney function which considers race has been criticized by physicians and medical students for its racist history and inaccuracy against Black patients.
St George's Hospital Medical School allegedly Automated Admissions with Discriminatory Results
From 1982 to 1986, St George's Hospital Medical School used a program to automate a portion of their admissions process that allegedly discriminated against women and members of ethnic minorities.
Error in Pepsi's Number Generation System Led to Decades-Long Damages in the Philippines
Pepsi's number generation system determining daily winners in its Number Fever promotion in the Philippines mistakenly produced a number held by thousands which resulted in riots, deaths, conspiracy theories, and decades of lawsuits.