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
526 incidents
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.
Sleeping Driver on Tesla AutoPilot
A Tesla Model S remained on autopilot while being operated by a drunk, sleeping operator whose hands were not on the wheel. The police had to slow the car down by slowing in front of the vehicle to activate its 'driver assist' feature .
Two Cruise Autonomous Vehicles Collided with Each Other in California
In San Francisco, an autonomous Cruise Chevrolet Bolt collided with another Cruise vehicle driven by a Cruise human employee, causing minor scuffs to the cars but no human injuries.
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.
Facial Recognition Program in São Paulo Metro Stations Suspended for Illegal and Disproportionate Violation of Citizens' Right to Privacy
A facial recognition program rolled out by São Paulo Metro Stations was suspended following a court ruling in response to a lawsuit by civil society organizations, who cited fear of it being integrated with other electronic surveillance entities without consent, and lack of transparency about the biometric data collection process of metro users.
All Image Captions Produced are Violent
MIT Media Lab researchers create AI-powered "psychopath" named Norman by training a model on "dark corners" of Reddit.
Driverless Train in Delhi Crashes due to Braking Failure
A driverless metro train in Delhi, India crashed during a test run due to faulty brakes.
Robot Deployed by Animal Shelter to Patrol Sidewalks outside Its Office, Warding off Homeless People in San Francisco
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) deployed a Knightscope robot to autonomously patrol the area outside its office and ward off homeless people, which was criticized by residents as a tool of intimidation and ordered by the city of San Francisco to stop its use on a public right-of-way.
Las Vegas Self-Driving Bus Involved in Accident
A self-driving public shuttle by Keolis North America and Navya was involved in a collision with a human-driven delivery truck in Las Vegas, Nevada on its first day of service.
Researchers' Homosexual-Men Detection Model Denounced as a Threat to LGBTQ People's Safety and Privacy
Researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Business developed a model that determined, on a binary scale, whether someone was homosexual using only his facial image, which advocacy groups such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign denounced as flawed science and threatening to LGBTQ folks.