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
736 incidents
Florida Man Allegedly Used Purported Deepfake Video to Report Break-In of Deputy's Patrol Vehicle in Lake Mary
Alexis Martínez-Arizala, a man from Florida, allegedly approached a Seminole County deputy inside a Lake Mary sporting-goods store and allegedly showed a three-second AI-generated video purporting to show people entering the deputy's marked patrol vehicle outside. Investigators later said surveillance footage showed no such event occurred, and local reporting said the deputy responded as though the threat were real. Martínez-Arizala was later arrested on multiple Florida charges
Purported AI-Generated Voice Reportedly Impersonated Washington Man's Daughter in $13,000 Extortion Scam
A man in Washington state, Mark A. Young, reportedly wired $13,000 after scammers used a purportedly AI-generated copy of his daughter's voice to convince him she had been kidnapped after a staged car-crash story. The caller allegedly kept him on the phone for about 30 hours, directed him to banks and money-transfer locations, and sought another $17,000 before a Pullman bank manager and police confirmed his daughter was safe.
Purported Deepfake Applicant Reportedly Impersonated Tokyo IT Executive Kenbun Yoshii During Online Job Interview
In Tokyo, a Japanese IT company reportedly interviewed a job applicant who used purportedly AI-generated video manipulation to impersonate real IT executive Kenbun Yoshii during a remote hiring interview. Investigators cited visual and audio irregularities suggesting a deepfake, and Yoshii said his publicly available images and career details appeared to have been misused.
Purported Deepfake of Ashley James Reportedly Used to Promote Weight Loss Pills
An online ad reportedly used a purported AI-generated version of Ashley James, a British broadcaster and former reality television personality, to market weight loss pills through a false celebrity endorsement. James said the video copied her face and voice without consent and described the ad as both a violation of her identity and a misleading sales tactic directed at the public.
Grammarly's AI Expert Review Allegedly Used Journalists' and Authors' Names Without Consent
Grammarly's Expert Review feature allegedly used a large language model to generate editing suggestions presented under the names of journalists, authors, and academics without their consent. A federal class action filed by Julia Angwin claimed the feature misappropriated identities for commercial gain and attributed advice the named individuals never gave.
Purported AI-Generated Nude Images Reportedly Used to Extort Wichita Man in Kansas
A Wichita, Kansas man reported that scammers sent him purported AI-generated nude images depicting his face on another body in his home and threatened to send them to his Facebook contacts unless he paid money. Police said a report was filed.
Grok Allegedly Generated Publicly Visible Sexist Abuse Targeting Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter After X User Prompt
An X user reportedly prompted xAI's Grok to generate a vulgar "roast" targeting Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter. Grok allegedly produced publicly visible sexist and insulting output about Keller-Sutter that was reportedly shareable on X before being deleted. Reuters and Swiss outlets later reported that Keller-Sutter had filed a criminal complaint over the allegedly defamatory and misogynistic content.
Purported Deepfake Scam Ad Reportedly Used Lara Lewington and Martin Lewis to Promote Quantum AI Scheme
Scammers reportedly used a purported deepfake video of Lara Lewington being assaulted to promote a fake "Martin Lewis Quantum AI" investment opportunity. According to reporting, Martin Lewis claimed the video prompted worried messages from friends and was designed to trick viewers into engaging with a fraudulent financial scheme.
Purported AI-Generated Inland Revenue Scam Ads Reportedly Impersonated New Zealand Commissioner Peter Mersi in Alleged Fake Crypto Tax Webinar
New Zealand Inland Revenue warned that scammers used a purported AI-generated likeness of Commissioner Peter Mersi with alleged false Inland Revenue branding, as well as misleading social media ads, to promote an allegedly fake webinar on crypto tax changes. The campaign allegedly sought to trick people into disclosing personal information.
Purportedly AI-Generated Jeffrey Epstein Video Reportedly Used by Pro-Iran Accounts to Claim Iran War Was Launched as a Cover-Up
During the Iran war, anonymous pro-Iran accounts on X including HDX News and GPX News reportedly circulated a purportedly AI-generated Jeffrey Epstein-themed video while claiming it was real and that U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran were launched to distract from Epstein-related material. The Washington Post reported the HDX News post received more than 6.8 million views and GPX News's version received more than 4.7 million before both accounts were suspended by X.
Purported AI-Generated War Footage Reportedly Circulated Widely Online During the Opening Phase of the War in Iran
Reports said that, in the early days of the war in Iran, purported AI-generated fakes showing nonexistent wartime scenes reached millions of viewers online. Their spread across social media and messaging apps allegedly distorted public perception of the conflict and contributed to information disorder.
CodeWall's Autonomous Agent Reportedly Obtained Unauthorized Access to McKinsey's Lilli AI Platform Database
CodeWall reported that its autonomous agent exploited vulnerabilities in McKinsey's Lilli AI platform and obtained unauthorized read and write access to production systems, allegedly exposing internal chat messages, files, user accounts, and prompts. McKinsey confirmed the vulnerability and said it fixed the issue within hours, but said it found no evidence that client data or client confidential information were accessed.
Purportedly AI-Manipulated Satellite Image Reportedly Claimed Iranian Strike Destroyed U.S. Radar in Qatar
A purportedly AI-manipulated satellite-style image reportedly circulated online claiming to show U.S. radar equipment in Qatar destroyed by an Iranian strike. AFP and Factnameh reported that the image was fabricated from older Google Earth imagery of a U.S. site in Bahrain, not Qatar or Al-Udeid Air Base. The image, amplified by Tehran Times and other social media posts, reportedly gained millions of views and fueled wartime disinformation.
Bank of Italy Warned That Purported Deepfakes of Governor Fabio Panetta Were Used in Allegedly Fraudulent Investment Promotions
The Bank of Italy warned that purportedly fake content using Governor Fabio Panetta's name and likeness were reportedly circulating online to promote alleged investment opportunities. The bank said some of the material had been created with purported deepfake techniques and was likely intended to defraud the public. It filed a complaint with judicial authorities.
Anthropic Said DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax Used Fraudulent Accounts and Proxies to Illicitly Distill Claude Capabilities at Scale
Anthropic said it identified large-scale campaigns that used fraudulent accounts and proxy services to generate high volumes of Claude interactions to extract model capabilities for competitor training ("distillation"). Anthropic attributed the activity to DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax and said it involved millions of exchanges across thousands of accounts, violating its terms and access restrictions. Anthropic described detection measures, account controls, and indicator-sharing in response.