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
Fake Accounts Using GAN Faces Deployed by Propaganda Campaign on Social Platforms
A pro-China propaganda campaign deployed fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube using GAN-synthesized faces to share and post comments on its content to gain wider circulation.
Indian Political App Tek Fog Allegedly Hijacked Trends and Manipulated Public Opinion on Other Social Media Platforms
The Indian political social media app Tek Fog allegedly allowed operatives affiliated with the ruling political party to hijack social media trends and manipulate public opinion on other apps such as Twitter and WhatsApp, which opposition parties denounced as a national security threat.
Climate Action Group Posted Deepfake of Belgian Prime Minister Urging Climate Crisis Action
A deepfake video showing the Belgium’s prime minister speaking of an urgent need to tackle the climate crises was released by a climate action group.
BJP Used Deepfake Videos of Manoj Tiwari to Target Haryanvi Voters in 2020 Delhi Election
In February 2020, India's BJP used purported deepfake videos of party leader Manoj Tiwari to influence voters in the Delhi legislative election. The videos reportedly showed Tiwari delivering scripted campaign messages in Haryanvi and English, which are languages he did not speak, by altering his lip movements and voice. Distributed via thousands of WhatsApp groups, the deepfakes reportedly reached millions of voters without disclosure.
Reported AI-Cloned Voice Used to Deceive Hong Kong Bank Manager in Purported $35 Million Fraud Scheme
In January 2020, a Hong Kong-based bank manager for a Japanese company reportedly authorized $35 million in transfers after receiving a call from someone whose voice matched the company director's. According to Emirati investigators, scammers used AI-based voice cloning to impersonate the executive. The fraud allegedly involved at least 17 individuals and reportedly led to global fund transfers that triggered a UAE investigation. U.S. authorities were reportedly later asked to help trace part of the funds sent to U.S. banks.
Giorgia Meloni Reportedly Targeted by Deepfake Pornography
In 2020, alleged deepfake pornographic videos falsely depicting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were uploaded to a U.S. website and viewed millions of times. At the time, she was leader of the Brothers of Italy but not yet PM. In 2024, now serving as PM, Meloni reportedly sued Alessio Scurosu, 40, and his father, Roberto Scurosu, 73, seeking €100,000 in damages. She testified in court, calling the act "a form of violence."
South Korean Agencies Reportedly Shared Airport Travelers' Face Images with Companies to Train Immigration Facial Recognition System
Reporting in 2021 alleged that South Korea's Ministry of Justice shared roughly 170 million face images and related biometric data from Korean and foreign airport travelers with the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and private companies for an AI identification and tracking system used in immigration screening. The data was reportedly used for AI training and algorithm testing without travelers' consent.
Ever AI Reportedly Deceived Customers about FRT Use in App
Ever AI, now Paravision AI, allegedly failed to inform customers about the development and use of facial recognition that facilitates the sale of customers’ data to various businesses, a business model that critics said was an egregious violation of privacy.
OpenAI Alleged by Lawsuit Violated Users' Privacy Rights by Training AI on Private Info without Informed Consent
OpenAI's products such as ChatGPT and DALL-E were alleged in a lawsuit using stolen private information from internet users without their informed consent or knowledge.
Fraudsters Used AI to Mimic Voice of a UK-Based Firm's CEO's Boss
Fraudsters allegedly used AI voice technology to impersonate the boss of a UK-based firm's CEO, demanding a transfer of €220,000 over the phone.
Two Investment Firms Charged with Making False Claims of Artificial Intelligence Capabilities in Case of AI Washing
In a case of AI washing, the SEC charged two investment advisers, Delphia and Global Predictions, for falsely stating their use of artificial intelligence in their investment strategies between 2019 and 2023. Their misleading claims resulted in a settlement whereby the firms agreed to pay a total of $400,000 in penalties, highlighting the critical consequences of misrepresenting AI capabilities on investment decisions and trust.
OpenAI's Training Data for LLMs Allegedly Comprised of Copyrighted Books
Two authors alleged in a class action lawsuit OpenAI infringed authors' copyrights by incorporating illegal "shadow libraries" offering copyrighted books without permission in the training data of its generative LLMs, such as ChatGPT.
Calgary Malls Reportedly Deployed Facial Recognition Without Customer Consent
Facial recognition (FRT) was reportedly deployed in some Calgary-area malls to approximate customer age and gender without explicit consent, which a privacy expert warned was a cause for concern.
Amazon Allegedly Violated Children's Privacy through Default Voice Collection Settings
Amazon's retention of children' voice recordings indefinitely as the default setting reportedly to train Alexa's voice recognition for Alexa-enabled devices was charged by the FTC and DOJ to violate COPPA Rule.
Investigative Journalist Rana Ayyub Targeted by AI-Generated Deepfake Pornography
Investigative journalist Rana Ayyub was targeted by a deepfake porn campaign, where AI-generated explicit content falsely depicted her in a pornographic video. This was part of a broader effort to discredit and silence her, which included a doxxing attack that exposed her personal information that resulted in severe harassment and emotional distress.