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
Meta and OpenAI Accused of Using LibGen’s Pirated Books to Train AI Models
Court records reveal that Meta employees allegedly discussed pirating books to train LLaMA 3, citing cost and speed concerns with licensing. Internal messages suggest Meta accessed LibGen, a repository of over 7.5 million pirated books, with apparent approval from Mark Zuckerberg. Employees allegedly took steps to obscure the dataset’s origins. OpenAI has also been implicated in using LibGen.
Purported Deepfake Video Falsely Depicts Biden Announcing National Draft for Ukraine
A purportedly AI-generated deepfake video falsely depicting President Biden announcing a national draft to support Ukraine was reportedly shared on social media, causing widespread misinformation. The video reportedly misled the public until debunked by fact-checkers.
Deepfake Video Targets Paul Vallas on Eve of Chicago Mayoral Election
On the eve of Chicago's mayoral election, a deepfake video impersonating candidate Paul Vallas was posted to Twitter, showing a fake audio of him making inflammatory statements. The video was viewed thousands of times before being taken down. The Vallas campaign condemned the video, calling it a deceptive impersonation.
UK Bank's Voice ID Successfully Bypassed Using AI-Produced Audio
A UK journalist was able to successfully bypass Lloyds Bank's "Voice ID" program to access his bank account using an AI-generated audio of his own voice.
Clarkesworld Magazine Reportedly Closed Down Submissions Due to Massive Increase in Purportedly AI-Generated Stories
Sci-fi magazine Clarkesworld is reported to have temporarily stopped accepting submissions after receiving an overwhelming increase in purportedly LLM-generated submissions.
A Purported Deepfake of Senator Elizabeth Warren Circulates Allegedly Saying Republicans Should Not Vote
In February 2023, a purported deepfake of Senator Elizabeth Warren circulated on social media in which allegedly doctored footage of her from an MSNBC interview had her claiming that she believes Republicans should not vote.
Vanderbilt Peabody Office's Purportedly ChatGPT-Drafted Message About Michigan State Shooting Reportedly Drew Student Backlash
On February 16, 2023, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion reportedly sent students a message about the Michigan State University shooting that disclosed it had been drafted or paraphrased using ChatGPT. Students reportedly criticized the message as impersonal and disrespectful in a moment of grief. Peabody later apologized for "poor judgment," and two EDI deans temporarily stepped back during a review.
Deepfake Video Featured Fictitious News Anchors Discussing Venezuela's Economy
Video featuring fictitious news anchors was created using Synthesia to allegedly spread disinformation about Venezuela's economy on social media and Venezuelan state-run broadcast.
Purported Deepfake TikTok Video Reportedly Featured Joe Rogan Endorsing Supplement Brand
A purported deepfake video featuring podcast host Joe Rogan reportedly advertising to his listeners about a "libido-boosting" supplement was circulating on TikTok and other platforms before being removed by TikTok along with the account which posted it.
Carmel High School Students Reportedly Posted Racist Deepfake Videos Making New York Principal Appear to Threaten Black Students
At Carmel High School in New York, three students reportedly posted AI-generated deepfake videos on TikTok impersonating George Fischer Middle School principal John Piscitella and a sheriff's-office member making racist slurs and violent threats against Black students. The videos were reported to school officials on February 12, 2023, and parents later criticized the district's communication and safety response.
Synthesized Voices Were Reportedly Used by Torswats to Sell Swatting Calls Targeting Schools and Homes
A Telegram user or channel known as Torswats reportedly offered paid swatting services and uploaded recordings of false emergency calls using synthesized or computer-generated voices. Reported targets included high schools, private residences, streamers, businesses, and police departments; some calls prompted lockdowns, searches, or armed law-enforcement responses. The exact voice-generation tool was not identified.
AI Generated Voices Used to Dox Voice Actors
Twitter users allegedly used ElevenLab's AI voice synthesis system to impersonate and dox voice actors.
Online Scammers Tricked People into Sending Money Using AI Images of Earthquake in Turkey
AI-generated images depicting earthquakes and rescues were posted on social media platforms by scammers who tricked people into sending funds to their crypto wallets disguised as donation links for the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
Bing Chat's Initial Prompts Revealed by Early Testers Through Prompt Injection
Early testers of Bing Chat successfully used prompt injection to reveal its built-in initial instructions, which contains a list of statements governing ChatGPT's interaction with users.
Users Reported Abrupt Behavior Changes of Their AI Replika Companions
Replika paid-subscription users reported unusual and sudden changes to behaviors of their "AI companions" such as forgetting memories with users or rejecting their sexual advances, which affected their connections and mental health.