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
Henan Authorities Reportedly Commissioned Facial Recognition System to Track Journalists and International Students
Henan Public Security Department procurement documents reportedly described a surveillance system awarded to Neusoft on September 17, 2021. The planned system would allegedly use about 3,000 facial-recognition cameras linked to regional and national databases to create files and alerts on foreign journalists, international students, and other targeted groups. It could not be confirmed whether the system became operational.
North Carolina Psychiatrist Used Artificial Intelligence to Produce Images of Child Sex Abuse
David Tatum, a psychiatrist, was sentenced to 40 years for sexually exploiting a minor and using AI to create child pornography images. Tatum used a web-based AI application to alter clothed images of minors into explicit content, misusing technology for illegal and unethical purposes. Evidence presented during his trial showed Tatum possessed photos and videos between 2016 and 2021.
Coupang Allegedly Tweaked Search Algorithms to Boost Own Products
Coupang was alleged in internal reports tampering its search algorithms to prioritize exposure of its own products, which potentially violated Korea's Fair Trade Act.
Tesla Allegedly Misled Customers about Autopilot and FSD Capabilities
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) accused Tesla of false advertising in its promotion of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technologies, alleging the company to have made untrue or misleading claims with marketing language about the capabilities of its products.
Amazon Allegedly Forced Deployment of AI-Powered Cameras on Delivery Drivers
Amazon delivery drivers were allegedly forced to consent to algorithmic collection and processing of their location, movement, and biometric data through AI-powered cameras, or be dismissed.
California Police Turned on Music to Allegedly Trigger Instagram’s DCMA to Avoid Being Live-Streamed
A police officer in Beverly Hills played copyrighted music on his phone when realizing that his interactions were being recorded on a livestream, allegedly hoping the Instagram's automated copyright detection system to end or mute the stream.
Hawaii Police Deployed Robot Dog to Patrol a Homeless Encampment
Honolulu Police Department spent federal pandemic relief funds on a robot dog to take body temperatures and patrol a homeless quarantine encampment which local civil rights advocates criticized as dehumanizing.
Ongoing Purported AI-Assisted Identity Fraud Enables Unauthorized Access to Western Companies by North Korean IT Workers
North Korean operatives have reportedly used AI-generated identities to secure remote jobs or impersonate employers in order to infiltrate companies. These tactics allegedly support sanctions evasion through wage theft, credential exfiltration, and malware deployment. Workers reportedly use fake resumes, VPNs, and face-altering tools; some deploy malware like OtterCookie after embedding, while others lure targets via spoofed job interviews. AI systems are reportedly used to generate fake resumes, alter profile photos, and assist in real-time responses during video interviews.
Japanese Porn Depixelated by Man using Deepfake
A man allegedly unblurred, using deepfake technology, pixelated pornographic images and videos of pornographic actors, which violated Japan’s obscenity law requiring images of genitalia to be obscured.
Meta Allegedly Used Books3, a Dataset of 191,000 Pirated Books, to Train LLaMA AI
Meta and Bloomberg allegedly used Books3, a dataset containing 191,000 pirated books, to train their AI models, including LLaMA and BloombergGPT, without author consent. Lawsuits from authors such as Sarah Silverman and Michael Chabon claim this constitutes copyright infringement. Books3 includes works from major publishers like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. Meta argues its AI outputs are not "substantially similar" to the original books, but legal challenges continue.
Korean Internet Portal Giant Naver Manipulated Shopping and Video Search Algorithms to Favor In-House Services
The Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a 26.7B KRW on Naver for manipulating shopping and video search algorithms, favoring its own online shopping business to boost its market share.
Suicide Clips Evaded TikTok's Automated Moderation in Coordinated Attack
Many clips showing a suicide evaded TikTok's automated content moderation system allegedly in a coordinated attack, which resulted in exposure of violating content to its users.
Activists Allege NYPD's Application of Facial Recognition Interfered with Right to Protest
Black Lives Matter activists alleged being targeted for arrest by New York Police using facial recognition, interfering with their right to protest.
Deepfake Images of Australian Teacher Hannah Grundy and 25 Others Created and Circulated Online by Former Friend
Australian teacher Hannah Grundy discovered her face had been superimposed onto pornographic images using AI deepfake technology, which were shared online alongside personal details. A former trusted friend, Andrew Thomas Hayler, was found responsible, targeting 26 women, including Grundy and close friends, over two years. Hayler pleaded guilty to multiple charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
WeChat Pay's Facial Recognition Security Evaded by Scammers Using Victims’ Social Media Content
In China, fraudsters bypassed facial-recognition security for online financial transactions on WeChat Pay by crafting identity-verification GIFs of victims from their selfies on WeChat Moments, a social media platform.