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
1,751 incidents
Noelle Martin Deepfaked Without Consent in AI-Generated Pornography
In 2017, Noelle Martin discovered explicit deepfake videos online that used AI technology to superimpose her face onto pornographic scenes. This incident was a continuation of the abuse she had experienced since at least 2012, when she first found doctored still images of herself in similar contexts. Despite the initial lack of legal protections, her advocacy efforts were instrumental in making image-based abuse a criminal offense in Australia.
Detroit Police Allegedly Wrongfully Arrested Black Man Due to Purportedly Faulty Facial Recognition Technology
A Black man was allegedly wrongfully detained by the Detroit Police Department as a result of a purportedly false facial recognition technology (FRT) result.
Facebook Gave Vulgar English Translation of Chinese President's Name
Facebook provided a vulgar Burmese-English translation of the Chinese president's name in posts of an official Burmese politician's Facebook page announcing his visit.
Reported AI-Cloned Voice Used to Deceive Hong Kong Bank Manager in Purported $35 Million Fraud Scheme
In January 2020, a Hong Kong-based bank manager for a Japanese company reportedly authorized $35 million in transfers after receiving a call from someone whose voice matched the company director's. According to Emirati investigators, scammers used AI-based voice cloning to impersonate the executive. The fraud allegedly involved at least 17 individuals and reportedly led to global fund transfers that triggered a UAE investigation. U.S. authorities were reportedly later asked to help trace part of the funds sent to U.S. banks.
Finnish Police Were Reportedly Reprimanded After National Bureau of Investigation Unit Allegedly Used Clearview AI to Identify Potential Abuse Victims
Finland's Deputy Data Protection Ombudsman reportedly reprimanded the National Police Board after a National Bureau of Investigation child sexual exploitation unit allegedly used Clearview AI in late 2019 or early 2020 to identify potential child sexual abuse victims. Four NBI users reportedly made about 120 searches during a free trial without controller approval or prior assessment of how uploaded biometric data would be handled.
SN Technologies Reportedly Lied to a New York State School District about Its Facial and Weapon Detection Systems’ Performance
SN Technologies allegedly misled Lockport City Schools about the performance of its AEGIS face and weapons detection systems, downplaying error rates for Black faces and weapon misidentification.
Quantum AI and Related AI-Themed Investment Scams Reportedly Used Deepfake Endorsements and Spoofed Media Sites to Solicit Investments
Researchers have described a global AI-themed investment fraud ecosystem using deepfake videos, spoofed news sites, phishing pages, and phone outreach to impersonate celebrities, news outlets, and political leaders. Reports link the scheme to fake trading platforms including Quantum AI and related sites, and to cloaked adtech infrastructure used to route likely victims while hiding scam pages from scanners.
Self-Employed Somerset Father Wayne Luxon Reportedly Lost £140,000 After Facebook Deepfake of Martin Lewis Promoted Crypto Scam
Beginning in 2020, Wayne Luxon, a 43-year-old self-employed father of four from Taunton, Somerset, reportedly lost £140,000 after responding to a Facebook advertisement using a purportedly AI-generated Martin Lewis deepfake to promote cryptocurrency investment. Luxon said he was directed to a clone platform where he made additional payments after seeing fictitious gains, and later paid purported tax fees before the account balance fell to zero.
Motive AI Dashcams Allegedly Collected Truckers' Biometric Data and Built License-Plate Location Records Without Consent
Truck drivers Adam Dean and Christian Erickson alleged that Motive Technologies' AI dashcams used automatic license plate recognition to record plates and time-stamped vehicle locations and collected drivers' biometric data without adequate notice or consent. Dean reportedly drove a Motive-equipped vehicle from 2020–2023 and Erickson from 2022–2025. Their proposed class action alleges privacy harms and violations of California's ALPR law.
Bots Allegedly Made up Roughly Half of Twitter Accounts in Discussions Surrounding COVID-19 Related Issues
Bots by anonymous actors were found by researchers to make up roughly half of Twitter accounts participating in COVID-19 discussions, many of which posted tweets about “reopening America“.
COVID-19 Detection and Prognostication Models Allegedly Flagged for Methodological Flaws and Underlying Biases
Peer-review of papers about COVID-19 detection and prognostication algorithms from 2020, including deployed models, revealed none to be ready for clinical use, due to methodological flaws and underlying biases such as lacking external validation or not specifying data sources and model training details.
Giorgia Meloni Reportedly Targeted by Deepfake Pornography
In 2020, alleged deepfake pornographic videos falsely depicting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were uploaded to a U.S. website and viewed millions of times. At the time, she was leader of the Brothers of Italy but not yet PM. In 2024, now serving as PM, Meloni reportedly sued Alessio Scurosu, 40, and his father, Roberto Scurosu, 73, seeking €100,000 in damages. She testified in court, calling the act "a form of violence."
Tesla Driver on Autopilot Ran a Red Light, Crashing into a Car and Killing Two People in Los Angeles
In 2019, a Tesla Model S driver on Autopilot mode reportedly went through a red light and crashed into a Honda Civic, killing two people in Gardena, Los Angeles.
Tesla on Autopilot Fatally Crashed into Parked Fire Truck in Indiana
A Tesla on Autopilot mode failed to see a parked fire truck and crashed into its rear on an interstate in Indiana, causing the death of an Arizona woman.
Tesla Model 3 Crashed into Police Patrol Car on Connecticut Highway
A Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot slammed into a parked car of patrol police officers who stopped to assist a stranded motorist on the interstate in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Risk Taxonomy
Caused By
Year Trend
* Oct 2026, ~320 projected full year
AIID · MIT AIRI · CC BY-SA 4.0