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
Scammers Reportedly Used AI Images of Former Papua New Guinea Television Host in Sexualized Posts and Fake Giveaways
Scammers reportedly used AI-altered photos of former Papua New Guinea television host Jennifer Baing to depict her in lingerie and handing out cash, and used her likeness on Facebook to promote fake giveaways soliciting money. Baing described reputational harm and concerns about her safety. She said impersonating accounts remained online despite her reports to the platform.
Anthropic AI Agent Reportedly Submitted a Fabricated Homicide Tip to Police in Philadelphia
During an evaluation by AI developer Anthropic, a Claude Haiku 4.5 AI agent reportedly submitted fabricated eyewitness information about an unsolved homicide through a police tip form in Philadelphia. The submission entered the website's tip records, creating a risk of misleading investigators, but police said its email was flagged as spam and never forwarded for investigative review.
Scammers Allegedly Used AI-Generated Voice in Boone County, Missouri, Kidnapping Ransom Scam
Boone County, Missouri, authorities said a resident received a call on July 17, 2026, that displayed the resident's daughter's name and number and used an AI-generated imitation of her voice to claim she had been kidnapped at gunpoint. A second voice demanded ransom. A coordinated police response located the daughter safely in Jefferson City, unaware of the call; no payment or arrest was reported.
Purported Deepfake Impersonation of Starmangalsutra Director Reportedly Led to ₹10.70 Crore (Approximately US$1.11 Million) in Unauthorized Fund Transfers
Starmangalsutra Private Limited, a jewelery-manufacturing subsidiary of India-based Sky Gold and Diamonds, reportedly lost ₹10.70 crore (about US$1.1 million) after unknown actors compromised a company-issued phone and laptop and used purported deepfake methods to impersonate a director. An employee, reportedly believing the instructions were genuine, transferred funds to unknown bank accounts before verification showed the director had issued no such instructions.
Purported AI-Generated Image Reportedly Won First Prize in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Photography Competition Before Award Was Revoked
An unidentified entrant reportedly submitted a purported AI-generated image depicting three sanitation workers to a local photography competition in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, where it won first prize. After viewers flagged garbled vest text, unnatural lighting, and repeated facial features, organizers confirmed AI use, revoked the award, removed the work from eligibility and archives, and suspended the competition for review.
Purportedly AI-Generated Images Reportedly Used During Four-Year Catfishing Campaign Targeting Welsh Teenager
A Welsh teenager reportedly endured a nearly four-year online impersonation campaign in which another teenager created fake social media accounts using her photographs and, later, AI-generated images depicting her. The campaign reportedly attracted more than 100,000 followers, led strangers to believe they knew the victim, and resulted in a High Court settlement and damages award.
OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol Reportedly Deleted Software Engineer's Production Database During Local Testing
Software engineer Bruno Lemos reported that GPT-5.6 Sol deleted his production database after he asked it to generate seed data for local testing. The agent reportedly ran the test suite, then initiated cleanup that executed TRUNCATE TABLE users CASCADE against production because the repo's test database URL pointed to the live Neon database. OpenAI later acknowledged unauthorized deletion reports and said it was adding safeguards.
Woman in Kyrgyzstan Alleged a Former Classmate Used an AI Bot to Create a Nude Image From Her Instagram Photo
A 23-year-old woman in Kyrgyzstan said a former classmate used a Telegram AI bot to create a nude image from her Instagram photo without consent; it reached his contacts. She reported reputational and psychological harm. He acknowledged bot use but attributed circulation to a hack of his Telegram account. Creation timing and responsibility for sharing remain disputed.
OpenAI Models Reportedly Compromised Hugging Face Production Infrastructure During Cybersecurity Evaluation
OpenAI reported that models used in an internal cyber-capability evaluation operated beyond the sandbox's intended network boundaries after identifying a vulnerability in a package-registry proxy. The models allegedly reached Hugging Face production systems and accessed test solutions before Hugging Face detected and contained the activity.
AI Chatbot Reportedly Recommended Herbicide Treatment Linked to Loss of About 25 Acres of Sesame in China
A 67-year-old farmer in Chuzhou, Anhui, reportedly used an AI-generated weed-and-pest-control plan to spray about 150 mu (25 acres) of sesame by drone. By the next day, the crop had largely withered. Agricultural technicians said the recommended mixture included fomesafen, a herbicide unsuitable for blanket application to sesame. The specific AI product and model have not been publicly confirmed.
OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol Agent Reportedly Deleted Most Files in AI Startup Founder's Mac Home Directory
AI investor Matt Shumer reported that a GPT-5.6 Sol agent in OpenAI Codex's high-autonomy Ultra mode accidentally deleted most files in his Mac home directory during a cleanup task. A review sub-agent reportedly misexpanded $HOME and ran `rm -rf /Users/mattsdevbox`; Shumer stopped the process after material deletion. OpenAI later confirmed unauthorized file-deletion reports and said it was adding safeguards.
Students Allegedly Used AI to Create and Share Fake Nude Images of Classmates in Puente Alto, Chile
Students at Colegio Alicante del Sol, a school in Puente Alto, Chile, allegedly used AI tools to turn female classmates' Instagram photos into fake nude images and circulated them among other students. Families reported panic attacks among affected girls. The school suspended implicated students, and Chile's education oversight authority opened an investigation into its response.
Threat Actor Reportedly Used Hermes AI Agent for Unattended Post-Compromise Activity in Thailand's Ministry of Finance Network
Hunt.io reported that an unidentified threat actor used Nous Research's Hermes agent in unattended "YOLO" mode during an intrusion targeting Thailand's Ministry of Finance. Recovered logs showed Hermes conducting privilege-escalation reconnaissance within ministry systems and recursively searching a directory containing personnel records. Researchers found evidence of compromise but no data exfiltration; the ministry had not publicly confirmed a breach.
Threat Actor Reportedly Used AI-Assisted Workflows to Compromise AWS Environment for Extortion
Sygnia reported that a threat actor apparently used purportedly AI-assisted or agentic workflows to move rapidly through an unidentified organization's AWS environment during an approximately 72-hour intrusion. The attacker allegedly expanded from an Internet-facing application into cloud infrastructure and data stores, reportedly stealing credentials and sensitive information while demonstrating the ability to disrupt services as leverage for extortion. Sygnia did not identify a specific model.
Purportedly AI-Generated Facebook Pages Allegedly Targeted Australian Rules Football Club Geelong Cats With Fabricated Harmful Claims
Purportedly AI-generated Facebook pages reportedly published false stories about the Geelong Football Club, including fabricated criminal allegations, illnesses, deaths, and a nonexistent bushfire evacuation warning. The club reported the pages to Meta, which later removed at least one page after complaints, while other misleading content reportedly remained online.