ChatGPT falsely tells users OpenCage offers phone lookup service
OpenCage, a geocoding API provider, says ChatGPT has been telling people it offers a reverse phone number lookup service, which it does not. Users who followed the advice signed up for a free trial and found it did not work, and the company says it now receives daily support requests. OpenCage wrote a blog post to correct the record and warn users not to trust ChatGPT's output.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Facebook removes official page of French town Bitche due to name
The official Facebook page of the French town of Bitche was removed by Facebook's automated content moderation system on March 19, 2021, because the town's name resembles an English profanity. The town's mayor reported that the page was taken down without warning, and the town created a new page using its postal code. Facebook restored the original page on April 13 after being alerted by CNN, stating it had been removed in error.
- Company involved
- Facebook
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated fake Buckingham Palace Christmas market misleads tourists
AI-generated images of a Christmas market at Buckingham Palace were posted on social media, leading tourists to travel to the palace only to find locked gates and puddles. The Royal Collection Trust clarified that no such market exists. The source of the AI images is unknown.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Serbia's Ministry of Interior deploys thousands of Huawei facial recognition cameras in Belgrade
In early 2019, Serbia's Ministry of Interior announced the deployment of a thousand smart surveillance cameras with facial and license plate recognition capabilities, supplied by Huawei, across Belgrade. The Ministry refused to release information about the project, citing confidentiality, and failed to conduct a legally required Data Protection Impact Assessment. Citizens responded by crowdsourcing camera locations via the hashtag #hiljadekamera and a website. The system remains in operation with no public debate or transparency.
- Company involved
- Ministry of Interior
- AI system involved
- Huawei smart surveillance cameras
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Hamburg deployed mass surveillance for G20 Summit
The city of Hamburg planned to use predictive policing software and facial recognition cameras for mass surveillance during the G20 Summit in July 2017. The surveillance was enforced by paramilitary means, creating a democracy-free zone. DiEM25 wrote an open letter to the Senate of Hamburg to protest the measures.
- Company involved
- Senate of Hamburg
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon's routing algorithm forces drivers to cross highways on foot
Amazon's routing algorithm for its Flex app uses 'stop consolidation' to combine deliveries on both sides of the street, requiring drivers to cross busy roads and highways on foot to save time. Drivers in multiple states reported safety risks, including sprinting across four-lane highways. Amazon denied that drivers frequently jaywalk and said it fixes map defects.
- Company involved
- Amazon
- AI system involved
- Flex app
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Waymo vehicles repeatedly turn around on San Francisco dead-end street
Residents of a dead-end street in San Francisco's Richmond District say Waymo self-driving cars have been driving down their street and making U-turns every five minutes for six to eight weeks. The constant hum of the vehicles has become a nuisance for neighbours working from home. Waymo said the cars were obeying road rules, taking a U-turn due to Slow Streets signage on Lake, and that it continually adjusts to dynamic San Francisco road rules.
- Company involved
- Waymo
- AI system involved
- Waymo Driver
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Fact-check: AI-generated image of Bono and Geldof with Israeli flags debunked
A satirical account created an image of Bono and Bob Geldof holding Israeli flags using Grok AI, and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis shared it on X. The image was viewed more than 306,000 times before the creator confirmed to The Journal that it was AI-generated and intended as satire. X attached a community note to Varoufakis's post, but the tweet remained live at the time of writing.
- AI system involved
- Grok AI
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Google indexed public Bard chat URLs, raising privacy concerns
In September 2023, users discovered that Google Search was indexing URLs of shared conversations with its Bard chatbot, potentially exposing personal information shared in those chats to anyone via search. Google acknowledged the issue and said it was working to block indexing. By September 28, the conversations were no longer showing up in search results, and Google had fixed the problem.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Bard
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Tourists rescued after following ChatGPT route in Tatra mountains
Three Polish tourists used ChatGPT to plan a hiking route from Hala Gąsienicowa to Dolina Pięciu Stawów in the Tatra mountains. The AI recommended a difficult route through Przełęcz Krzyżne, which proved too dangerous in winter conditions with limited visibility and icy rocks. The tourists called the TOPR rescue service and were safely brought down. A TOPR rescuer advised against relying on ChatGPT or Google Maps for mountain route planning.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Researchers trick Baidu-Unit chatbot into leaking server data
Researchers from the University of Sheffield demonstrated that the AI chatbot Baidu-Unit could be manipulated to produce malicious code. Using this code, they obtained confidential server configurations and tampered with a server node. Baidu acknowledged the vulnerabilities, fixed them, and financially rewarded the researchers.
- Company involved
- Baidu
- AI system involved
- Baidu-Unit
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Deepfake of Bella Hadid misrepresents her statements on Israel
A deepfake video of model Bella Hadid was circulated on social media, making it appear she apologized for past remarks and expressed support for Israel. The clip was actually a manipulated version of a 2016 speech she gave about her battle with Lyme disease. AFP fact-checked the video and identified it as a deepfake based on visual clues and reverse image search.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
LINAGORA closes Lucie 7B after user mockery
LINAGORA, a French open-source software company, launched a beta version of its large language model Lucie 7B. The model was intended to be a transparent and ethical alternative to big tech AI. However, after users tested it and highlighted its shortcomings, the model was mocked online. LINAGORA subsequently closed the platform to address the issues and collect more data.
- Company involved
- LINAGORA
- AI system involved
- Lucie 7B
6 source articles · read the reporting →
The Brutalist film faces controversy over AI-enhanced Hungarian accents
The film "The Brutalist" sparked controversy after its editor revealed that AI software Respeecher was used to enhance the Hungarian accents of actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, and to create architectural drawings. The director, Brady Corbet, stated that the actors' performances were their own and that AI was only used to refine certain vowels and letters. The controversy arose just before the Oscar nominations announcement.
- Company involved
- A24
- AI system involved
- Respeecher
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Israel uses AI system 'the Gospel' to select bombing targets in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been using an AI-based targeting system called 'the Gospel' to select bombing targets in Gaza during the war with Hamas. The system generates a high volume of target recommendations, significantly increasing the pace of airstrikes. Critics argue that the reliance on AI leads to insufficient human oversight and greater civilian harm. The IDF maintains that it follows international law and takes precautions to mitigate civilian casualties.
- Company involved
- Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
- AI system involved
- the Gospel (Habsora)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Google's Bard chatbot makes factual error in launch tweet
Google launched Bard, an experimental conversational AI service, on February 6, 2023. In a promotional GIF, Bard incorrectly claimed that the first image of an exoplanet was taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, when it was actually taken by the Very Large Telescope 17 years earlier. The error was pointed out by astronomers on social media.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Bard
10 source articles · read the reporting →
N-Tech.lab's FindFace used to identify St Petersburg metro passengers without consent
Egor Tsvetkov photographed passengers on the St Petersburg metro without their permission and used N-Tech.lab's facial recognition service FindFace to match their faces to public Vkontakte profiles. He published the results in an art project called 'Your Face is Big Data', saying he wanted to show how 'digital narcissism' can lead to stalking. Privacy advocates said the project was ethically problematic because the subjects had not consented and their identities were exposed. FindFace had been launched by N-Tech.lab in February 2016.
- Company involved
- N-Tech.lab
- AI system involved
- FindFace
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Pravda network content found in Wikipedia and AI chatbot outputs
The DFRLab and CheckFirst found that Russia-linked Pravda network domains are frequently cited as sources on Wikipedia, and that content from these sites appears in responses from AI chatbots including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity. The chatbots did not disclose the network's links to Russia. The investigation raises concerns about the pollution of training data and the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda through AI systems.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Maps falsely labels German autobahns as closed, causing traffic jams
On May 29, 2025, a glitch in Google Maps falsely displayed stop signs on German autobahns and highways, indicating they were closed. The misinformation caused traffic jams as drivers avoided the routes. Google acknowledged the issue and removed the incorrect closures, but the cause remains unclear, with speculation that AI features may have hallucinated the data.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Maps
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta’s BlenderBot 3 chatbot generates offensive content publicly.
Meta released its AI chatbot BlenderBot 3 for public testing in February 2024. Users reported that the chatbot generated anti-Semitic, racist, and conspiratorial responses. Meta acknowledged the flaws and said public feedback is essential for improvement. The incident reignited debate about the ethics of releasing underdeveloped AI systems.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- BlenderBot 3
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok AI chatbot falsely claims police misrepresented far-right rally footage in London
On 13 September 2025, Grok, an AI chatbot from xAI integrated into X, responded to a user's query by falsely stating that footage of police clashing with crowds at a far-right rally in London was from a 2020 anti-lockdown protest. The Metropolitan Police was forced to rebut the misinformation, confirming the footage was from that day's rally. X users, including a columnist, amplified the false claim. X has been approached for comment.
- Company involved
- X (formerly Twitter)
- AI system involved
- Grok
3 source articles · read the reporting →
UN warns AI technology used to distort Holocaust history
The UN's education body Unesco warned that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Bard are being used to generate false narratives about the Holocaust, including invented events and fabricated witnesses. The report highlights instances where hackers rigged chatbots to spread Nazi ideology and AI models created deepfakes of historical figures. Unesco called for ethical safeguards and education to counter the spread of anti-Semitism.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenDream AI art site allowed users to generate child sexual abuse material
OpenDream, an AI image generation platform, allowed users to generate and publicly display child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual deepfakes from at least December 2023 until July 2024. The platform, operated by CBM Media Pte Ltd in Singapore, offered paid plans with NSFW prompts and models. Bellingcat reported the site to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. After Bellingcat's inquiry, the CSAM was removed from the site and search engines, and Google terminated OpenDream's AdSense account.
- Company involved
- CBM Media Pte Ltd
- AI system involved
- OpenDream
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Waltham Cross residents say Google data centre construction has ruined their area
Residents living near Google's £790m data centre under construction in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, say it has generated constant noise, blocked their views and reduced house values, and some believe the work has made them ill. Google said its $1 billion investment would bring compute capacity to the UK and that it was committed to being active members of the community. The construction is expected to be complete next year.
- Company involved
- Google
6 source articles · read the reporting →
