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
741 incidents
Predictive Policing Biases of PredPol
Predictive policing algorithms meant to aid law enforcement by predicting future crime show signs of biased output.
YouTube Recommendations Allegedly Promoted Radicalizing Material Contributing to Terrorist Acts
Family of Nohemi Gonzalez alleged YouTube recommendation systems led people to propaganda videos for the Islamic State which subsequently radicalized them to carry out the killing of 130 people in the 2015 Paris terrorist attack, including Ms. Gonzalez.
Inappropriate Gmail Smart Reply Suggestions
Google's Gmail Smart Reply tool was over-recommending the response "I love you" in situations where it was deemed innappropriate.
YouTube Recommendations Implicated in Political Radicalization of User
YouTube’s personalization and recommendation algorithms were alleged to have pushed and exposed its young male users to political extremism and misinformation, driving them towards far-right ideologies such as neo-Nazism and white supremacy.
Facebook's Friend Suggestion Feature Recommends Patients of Psychiatrist to Each Other
Facebook's "People You May Know" (PYMK) feature was reported by a psychiatrist for recommending her patients as friends through recommendations, violating patients' privacy and confidentiality.
Collection of Robotic Surgery Malfunctions
Study on database reports of robotic surgery malfunctions (8,061), including those ending in injury (1,391) and death (144), between 2000 and 2013.
Worker killed by robot in welding accident at car parts factory in India
A factory robot at the SKH Metals Factory in Manesar, India pierced and killed 24-year-old worker Ramji Lal when Lal reached behind the machine to dislodge a piece of metal stuck in the machine.
Australian Automated Debt Assessment System Issued False Notices to Thousands
Australian Department of Human Services (DHS)’s automated debt assessment system issued false or incorrect debt notices to hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in years-long lawsuits and damages to welfare recipients.
Google and Delphi Self-Driving Prototypes Allegedly Involved in Near-Miss on San Antonio Road, Palo Alto
A Delphi self-driving Audi Q5 prototype reportedly aborted a lane change after a Google self-driving Lexus RX400h allegedly cut in front of it on San Antonio Road in Palo Alto, California. According to Delphi executive John Absmeier, the Delphi car "took appropriate action" to avoid collision. No crash or injuries occurred.
Facebook's 'Tag Suggestions' Allegedly Stored Biometric Data without User Consent
Facebook's initial version of the its Tag Suggestions feature where users were offered suggestions about the identity of people's faces in photos allegedly stored biometric data without consent, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Images of Black People Labeled as Gorillas
Google Photos image processing software mistakenly labelled a black couple as "gorillas."
Facebook's AI-Supported Moderation Failed to Classify Terrorist Content in East African Languages
Facebook's system involving algorithmic content moderation for East African languages was reportedly failing to identify violating content on the platform such as mistakenly classifying non-terrorist content.
Google’s YouTube Kids App Presents Inappropriate Content
YouTube’s content filtering and recommendation algorithms exposed children to disturbing and inappropriate videos.
Google's Face Grouping Allegedly Collected and Analyzed Users' Facial Structure without Consent, Violated BIPA
A class-action lawsuit alleged Google failing to provide notice, obtain informed written consent, or publish data retention policies about the collection, storage, and analysis of its face-grouping feature in Google Photos, which violated Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Gender Biases of Google Image Search
Google Image returns results that under-represent women in leadership roles, notably with the first photo of a female "CEO" being a Barbie doll after 11 rows of male CEOs.