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
GAN Faces Deployed by The BL's Fake Account Network to Push Pro-Trump Content on Meta Platforms
A large network of pages, groups, and fake accounts having GAN-generated face photos associated with The BL, a US-based media outlet, reportedly bypassed Facebook moderation systems to push "pro-Trump" narratives on its platform and Instagram.
Job Screening Service Halts Facial Analysis of Applicants
In January 2021, HireVue removed the controversial AI expression tracking tool from its virtual job interview software.
Opaque Fraud Detection Algorithm by the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions Allegedly Discriminated against People with Disabilities
People with disabilities were allegedly disproportionately targeted by a benefit fraud detection algorithm which the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions was urged to disclose.
Grab Tweaked Matchmaking Algorithm, Providing Preferential Treatment to Drivers Registered with Affiliated Car Rental Service
Grab Indonesia was fined by the Indonesian Competition Commission (KPPU) for unfairly favoring drivers who rented cars via the Grab-affiliated company Teknologi Pengangkutan Indonesia (TPI), including offering more rides via their matchmaking algorithm.
Telegram Channels Allowed Users to Make Non-Consensual Deepfake Porn as Paid Service
Seven channels were connected in a Telegram ecosystem centered around letting subscribers, as a paid service, generate non-consensual deepfake nudes using a bot from submitted photos of women, including underage girls and women who they know in real life.
Length of Stay False Diagnosis Cut Off Insurer's Payment for Treatment of Elderly Woman
An elderly Wisconsin woman was algorithmically determined to have a rapid recovery, an output which the insurer based on to cut off payment for her treatment despite medical notes showing her still experiencing debilitating pain.
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.
Buenos Aires Government Reportedly Used Children's Personal Data in Facial Recognition System for Fugitives
Beginning in April 2019, the Buenos Aires city government reportedly used data from Argentina’s CONARC fugitive database, including children’s identities and reference photos, in its live Facial Recognition System for Fugitives (SRFP). Human Rights Watch found at least 166 children had appeared in CONARC between 2017 and 2020 and warned that the system exposed them to privacy violations and elevated risks of false matches.
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.
Amazon Allegedly Tweaked Search Algorithm to Boost Its Own Products
Amazon tweaked product-search algorithm to boost and guide customers towards more profitable in-house products instead of showing mainly most-relevant and best-selling listings, which its internal engineers and lawyers alleged to violate company’s best-for-customer principle.
Chinese Tech Firms Allegedly Developed Facial Recognition to Identify People by Race, Targeting Uyghur Muslims
Various Chinese firms were revealed by patent applications to have developed facial recognition capable of detecting people by race, which critics feared would enable persecution and discrimination of Uyghur Muslims.
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.