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
464 incidents
A Purported Deepfake of Senator Elizabeth Warren Circulates Allegedly Saying Republicans Should Not Vote
In February 2023, a purported deepfake of Senator Elizabeth Warren circulated on social media in which allegedly doctored footage of her from an MSNBC interview had her claiming that she believes Republicans should not vote.
Vanderbilt Peabody Office's Purportedly ChatGPT-Drafted Message About Michigan State Shooting Reportedly Drew Student Backlash
On February 16, 2023, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion reportedly sent students a message about the Michigan State University shooting that disclosed it had been drafted or paraphrased using ChatGPT. Students reportedly criticized the message as impersonal and disrespectful in a moment of grief. Peabody later apologized for "poor judgment," and two EDI deans temporarily stepped back during a review.
Deepfake Video Featured Fictitious News Anchors Discussing Venezuela's Economy
Video featuring fictitious news anchors was created using Synthesia to allegedly spread disinformation about Venezuela's economy on social media and Venezuelan state-run broadcast.
Carmel High School Students Reportedly Posted Racist Deepfake Videos Making New York Principal Appear to Threaten Black Students
At Carmel High School in New York, three students reportedly posted AI-generated deepfake videos on TikTok impersonating George Fischer Middle School principal John Piscitella and a sheriff's-office member making racist slurs and violent threats against Black students. The videos were reported to school officials on February 12, 2023, and parents later criticized the district's communication and safety response.
Synthesized Voices Were Reportedly Used by Torswats to Sell Swatting Calls Targeting Schools and Homes
A Telegram user or channel known as Torswats reportedly offered paid swatting services and uploaded recordings of false emergency calls using synthesized or computer-generated voices. Reported targets included high schools, private residences, streamers, businesses, and police departments; some calls prompted lockdowns, searches, or armed law-enforcement responses. The exact voice-generation tool was not identified.
AI Generated Voices Used to Dox Voice Actors
Twitter users allegedly used ElevenLab's AI voice synthesis system to impersonate and dox voice actors.
Online Scammers Tricked People into Sending Money Using AI Images of Earthquake in Turkey
AI-generated images depicting earthquakes and rescues were posted on social media platforms by scammers who tricked people into sending funds to their crypto wallets disguised as donation links for the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
Bing Chat's Initial Prompts Revealed by Early Testers Through Prompt Injection
Early testers of Bing Chat successfully used prompt injection to reveal its built-in initial instructions, which contains a list of statements governing ChatGPT's interaction with users.
Users Reported Abrupt Behavior Changes of Their AI Replika Companions
Replika paid-subscription users reported unusual and sudden changes to behaviors of their "AI companions" such as forgetting memories with users or rejecting their sexual advances, which affected their connections and mental health.
Celebrities' Deepfake Voices Abused with Malicious Intent
Voices of celebrities and public figures were deepfaked using voice synthesis for malicious intents such as impersonation or defamation, and were shared on social platforms such as 4chan and Reddit.
Purported Synthesia Avatars Used in Alleged Pro-Junta Deepfake Video Supporting Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso
In January 2023, purportedly AI-generated videos reportedly began circulating on WhatsApp and social media showing avatars of apparent American pan-Africanists expressing support for Burkina Faso's military junta. The videos were reportedly created using the Synthesia platform. Synthesia later confirmed the videos violated its terms of service and banned the user. The source of the videos remains unidentified.
ChatGPT-Written Bug Reports Deemed "Nonsense" by White Hat Platform, Prompted Bans
ChatGPT-generated responses submitted to smart contract bug bounty platform Immunefi reportedly lacked details to help diagnose technical issues, which reportedly wasted the platform's time, prompting bans to submitters.
Canadian Parents Tricked out of Thousands Using Their Son's AI Voice
Two Canadian residents were scammed by an anonymous caller who used AI voice synthesis to replicate their son's voice asking them for legal fees, disguising as his lawyer.
Tesla Driver Put Car on Autopilot Before Falling Asleep in Germany
A Tesla driver fell asleep on an Autobahn near Bamberg, Germany after activating his vehicle's Autopilot mode, which did not respond to attempts to pull it over by the police.
ChatGPT Abused to Develop Malicious Softwares
OpenAI's ChatGPT was reportedly abused by cyber criminals including ones with no or low levels of coding or development skills to develop malware, ransomware, and other malicious softwares.