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
Yahoo Boys Allegedly Employ Real-Time Deepfake Technology in Romance Scams
Scammers from Nigeria, known as "Yahoo Boys," are reportedly utilizing real-time deepfake technology to impersonate individuals during video calls, deceiving victims in romance scams. By allegedly altering their appearance with face-swapping software, they build trust under false identities to defraud targets of substantial sums.
Robbers Accessed Drugged Gay Men's Bank Accounts Using Their Phones' Facial Recognition
Gay men in New York City were drugged by robbers who accessed their phones using facial recognition while they were unconscious to transfer funds out of their bank accounts.
Fake LinkedIn Profiles Created Using GAN Photos
More than a thousand inauthentic LinkedIn profiles using allegedly GAN-generated photos were notified by researchers at Stanford to LinkedIn’s staff, and many of which were removed for violating rules against creating fake profiles and falsifying information.
AI-Generated Profiles Used in Disinformation Campaign Targeting Ukrainians
According to security reports by Meta, fictitious personas with GAN-generated profile pictures were used by people operating in Russia and Ukraine to push a disinformation campaign targeting Ukrainian social media users, and were taken down.
'Pravda' Network, Successor to 'Portal Kombat,' Allegedly Seeding AI Models with Kremlin Disinformation
A purported Moscow-based disinformation network, Pravda, allegedly infiltrated AI models by flooding the internet with pro-Kremlin falsehoods. A NewsGuard audit found that 10 major AI chatbots repeated these narratives 33% of the time, citing Pravda sources as legitimate. The tactic, called "LLM grooming," manipulates AI training data to embed Russian propaganda. Pravda is part of Portal Kombat, a larger Russian disinformation network identified by VIGINUM in February 2024, but in operation since February 2022.
YouTuber Tested Tesla on Self Driving Mode, Colliding with Street Pylons
A YouTuber who was a Tesla’s employee conducted an on-road review of Tesla's Full Self Driving (FSD) Beta, showing its navigation in various road environments in San Jose and collision with a bollards during Autopilot, allegedly causing his dismissal from the company.
Replika's "AI Companions" Reportedly Abused by Its Users
Replika's AI-powered "digital companions" was allegedly abused by their users, who posted on Reddit abusive behaviors and interactions such as using slurs, roleplaying violent acts, and stimulating sexual abuse.
Voices Created Using Publicly Available App Stolen and Resold as NFT without Attribution
An AI-synthetic audio sold as an NFT on Voiceverse’s platform was acknowledged by the company for having been created by 15.ai, a free web app specializing in text-to-speech and AI-voice generation, and reused without proper attribution.
Local South Korean Government’s Use of CCTV Footage Analysis via Facial Recognition to Track COVID Cases Raised Concerns about Privacy, Retention, and Potential Misuse
Bucheon government's use of facial recognition in analyzing CCTV footage, despite gaining wide public support, was scrutinized by privacy advocates and some lawmakers for collecting data without consent, and retaining and misusing data beyond pandemic needs.
Arizona Residents Reportedly a Frequent Target of AI-Driven Romance Scams
Arizona residents, especially senior citizens, are reportedly often the target of AI-driven romance scams. Between 2022 and 2023, reported losses from online romance scams in Arizona totaled over $47 million, ranking the state fifth highest in the nation behind California, Florida, Texas, and New York, according to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data. In 2023, it has been reported that Arizonans lost $325 million owing to these scams.
Korean Politician Employed Deepfake as Campaign Representative
A South Korean political candidate created a deepfake avatar which political opponents alleged to be fraudulent and a threat to democracy.
Web Accessibility Vendors Allegedly Falsely Claimed to Provide Compliance Using AI
AI-powered web accessibility vendors allegedly overstated to customers about their products' utility for people with disabilities, falsely claiming to deliver automated compliance solutions.
Kenyan Data Annotators Reported Psychological Trauma from Labeling Graphic Text for ChatGPT Safety Systems
Sama data annotators in Nairobi, Kenya, reported lasting psychological trauma after labeling graphic sexual and violent text for OpenAI's content-moderation classifiers used in ChatGPT. Workers alleged low pay and inadequate psychological support; Sama disputed aspects of those accounts. The contract ended early, and former workers later petitioned Kenya's Parliament for stronger protections.
McDonald's AI Drive-Thru Allegedly Collected Biometric Customer Data without Consent, Violating BIPA
McDonald's use of chatbot in its AI drive-through in Chicago was alleged in a lawsuit to have collected and processed voice data without user consent to predict customer information, which violated Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Social Media Algorithms Amplified Disinformation Campaign in Honduras Election
In October 2021, a coordinated network of over 317 fake Twitter accounts leveraged AI-driven algorithms to amplify disinformation about the Honduran presidential election, targeting opposition candidate Xiomara Castro. The campaign spread false narratives to suppress voter turnout and undermine the election's integrity. Social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, removed the accounts only after being alerted, which also raised concerns about inadequate moderation.
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* Oct 2026, ~320 projected full year
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