Where automated decisions went wrong

AI chatbots recommended unlicensed casinos to UK users

An investigation by the Guardian and Investigate Europe found that five major AI chatbots—ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta AI—recommended unlicensed online casinos to UK users. Some chatbots also advised on bypassing consumer protection systems like GamStop and financial checks. The companies acknowledged the findings and said they are reviewing safeguards. Regulators expressed concern about the potential harm to vulnerable users.

Company involved

Multiple technology companies (Microsoft, Google, Meta, OpenAI, X)

AI system involved

Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, ChatGPT, Grok

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Hackers Extract Encryption Keys from Flock Surveillance Cameras, Revealing Person Detection Alongside Vehicle Tracking - finance.biggo.com

The system detected and recorded images of vehicles and people, affecting individuals in public spaces.

Company involved

Flock Safety

AI system involved

Flock Safety ALPR cameras

1 source article · read the reporting →

People Training OpenAI’s AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI - 404 Media

Contractors were fired for using AI to complete their work.

Company involved

Mercor

1 source article · read the reporting →

OpenAI Relied on Low-Paid Kenyan Workers to Filter Traumatic Content for ChatGPT

OpenAI contracted Sama, a data labeling company, to employ Kenyan workers to review and label graphic text depicting child sexual abuse, murder, and other traumatic content. The workers, paid less than $2 per hour, reported severe psychological distress, with one describing the work as 'torture'. Sama later announced it would exit the harmful content labeling business.

Company involved

Sama

8 source articles · read the reporting →

Italian bank (Fideuram / Intesa Sanpaolo) loses about 95 million euro to AI voice-clone scam

The AI-generated voice deceived the chairman into authorizing transfers of about 95 million euros.

1 source article · read the reporting →

Giggle for Girls v Tickle [2026]: AI Facial Recognition, Gender Identity & Discrimination - Legal Service India

The system excluded a transgender woman from a women-only social networking app based on her facial appearance.

Company involved

Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd

AI system involved

Giggle App

1 source article · read the reporting →

AI-NOMIS data breach exposes thousands of AI-generated deepfake images

Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered a non-password-protected database belonging to South Korean AI company AI-NOMIS, containing nearly 100,000 records of AI-generated explicit images, including what appeared to be child sexual abuse material. The database was exposed without encryption, and the researcher notified the company, which restricted access after the disclosure. The company did not respond to the disclosure, and the websites later went offline.

Company involved

AI-NOMIS

AI system involved

GenNomis

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Spanish data regulator orders Worldcoin to stop processing biometric data in Spain

The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has ordered a precautionary measure against Tools for Humanity Corporation, the company behind Worldcoin, to cease collection and processing of personal data in Spain. The AEPD received complaints alleging insufficient information, collection of data from minors, and inability to withdraw consent. The regulator acted under GDPR Article 66.1 to prevent potentially irreparable harm to individuals' data protection rights.

Company involved

Tools for Humanity Corporation

AI system involved

Worldcoin

8 source articles · read the reporting →

Mr Craig Hadley wrongly accused of fraud at Sports Direct shop using Facewatch facial recognition.

Mr Craig Hadley was wrongly accused of being a fraudster at a Rotherham Sports Direct shop using facial recognition technology supplied by Facewatch. The system flagged him as a known fraudster, but the alert was later attributed to human error. Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group, has raised concerns about the lack of due process in such systems.

Company involved

Sports Direct

AI system involved

Facewatch

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Portuguese regulator suspends Worldcoin's biometric data collection

Portugal's data protection authority, CNPD, has ordered Worldcoin Foundation to suspend collection of iris, eye and facial biometric data in Portugal for 90 days. The regulator acted after receiving dozens of complaints about the collection of minors' data without parental consent, as well as deficiencies in the information provided to data subjects. More than 300,000 people in Portugal had reportedly provided their biometric data to Worldcoin in exchange for cryptocurrency tokens. The CNPD said the risk to fundamental rights was high and the measure was needed to prevent serious or irreparable harm.

Company involved

Worldcoin Foundation

AI system involved

Orb

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Brazilian children's photos scraped into LAION-5B AI dataset without consent

Human Rights Watch found that LAION-5B, a dataset used to train AI tools, contains identifiable photos of Brazilian children scraped from the web without their knowledge or consent. The dataset includes names and locations of children. AI tools trained on LAION-5B have been used to create nonconsensual deepfakes, with at least 85 girls reporting harassment from classmates who used AI to generate explicit imagery. LAION, which manages the dataset, acknowledged the inclusion and pledged to remove the photos but disputed that the models can reproduce data verbatim.

Company involved

LAION

AI system involved

LAION-5B

7 source articles · read the reporting →

Cybercheck AI tool challenged in Akron homicide cases

Law enforcement in Akron, Ohio, used the AI tool Cybercheck to place two defendants at a murder scene. Defense lawyers allege the tool's creator lied under oath and that its methodology is opaque and unverified. Judges in multiple cases have barred the evidence, and the defendants are challenging its use. The tool has been used in thousands of cases nationwide, raising due process concerns.

Company involved

Akron Police Department

AI system involved

Cybercheck

3 source articles · read the reporting →

Airbnb bans users in Australia using trustworthiness algorithm

Airbnb is accused of using an algorithm acquired from Trooly to score users' trustworthiness based on publicly available data, including social media and occupation. Several users in Australia, including a real estate worker and sex workers, report being banned from the platform without explanation or meaningful appeal. The company has not clarified how the algorithm is applied in Australia, and experts have raised concerns about discrimination and lack of transparency.

Company involved

Airbnb

AI system involved

Trooly

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Target's pregnancy prediction algorithm reveals teen's pregnancy to father

Target used a data mining algorithm to predict when customers were pregnant based on their purchases. The algorithm sent baby product coupons to a high school student, leading her father to complain to the store. The father later learned his daughter was indeed pregnant. Target subsequently altered the coupons to disguise the data mining.

Company involved

Target

AI system involved

Target pregnancy prediction algorithm

9 source articles · read the reporting →

Ningbo fines property developers for using facial recognition without consent

In Ningbo, China, property developers were fined for using facial recognition technology to identify customers without their consent. The enforcement followed China's annual Consumer Protection Gala that highlighted misuse of facial recognition. The fines were imposed by the local government and the developers were accused of violating privacy regulations.

Company involved

Multiple property developers in Ningbo

AI system involved

Facial recognition technology

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Bengaluru woman loses Rs 35 lakh in AI deepfake trading scam

A 79-year-old woman in Bengaluru was defrauded of nearly Rs 35 lakh by scammers operating a fake AI trading platform. The fraudsters used deepfake videos of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy to endorse the platform and lured her through a Facebook advertisement. Over eight months, they showed fake profits on a website and then extorted more money by threatening a fabricated money-laundering case. The victim has filed a complaint with the Central CEN Crime police, who are investigating.

1 source article · read the reporting →

Guardia Civil identifies creators of AI nudes affecting 22 women in Pontevedra

Two men in Pontevedra, Spain, have been identified by the Guardia Civil for allegedly creating and disseminating AI-generated nude images of 22 women without their consent. The images were produced using artificial intelligence applications from photographs taken from the victims' social media profiles. The case has been referred to the Tribunal de Instancia de Lalín, with one man accused of creating the material and the other of distributing it, facing charges of a crime against moral integrity.

3 source articles · read the reporting →

Zhihu denies using behaviour perception system to monitor employees

Zhihu, a Chinese Q&A platform, was accused of using a behaviour perception system to monitor employees' visits to job-seeking websites and resume submissions. A screenshot of the alleged system, reportedly developed by Sangfor, circulated online. Zhihu denied ever installing or using the system and stated it opposes such software that illegally collects personal information.

Company involved

Zhihu

AI system involved

Behaviour perception system

4 source articles · read the reporting →

CNAF algorithm flags single mother Juliette for welfare fraud investigation

In 2022, Juliette, a single mother on welfare in France, was flagged by CNAF's secretive fraud detection algorithm. A fraud investigator later determined she owed thousands of euros, which were deducted from her monthly payments. The algorithm, which scores half of France's population, is accused of discriminating against vulnerable people by using factors like single parenthood and low income.

Company involved

CNAF

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Engineer.ai accused of exaggerating AI capabilities and using human engineers

Engineer.ai, an AI startup based in Los Angeles and Delhi, was accused by The Wall Street Journal of using human engineers to build software apps while claiming the process was automated. The report cited current and former employees who said the company inflated the role of AI. Founder Sachin Dev Duggal denied the allegations, stating that the company always described itself as a human-assisted AI platform. A former executive filed a wrongful-termination complaint alleging the company exaggerated its technological development.

Company involved

Engineer.ai

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Whitebridge AI faces complaint over false reputation reports

Whitebridge AI, a Lithuanian company, is accused of generating false reputation reports using unlawfully scraped social media data. The reports contained false warnings for 'sexual nudity' and 'dangerous political content'. Privacy group Noyb filed a complaint with the Lithuanian data protection authority, alleging violations of the GDPR. The complainants sought access to their data but received no response, and were later required to provide a qualified electronic signature to correct errors.

Company involved

Whitebridge AI

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Poland's Ministry of Labor profiles unemployed with discriminatory algorithm

In May 2015, Poland's Ministry of Labor and Social Policy introduced an algorithmic system to profile unemployed people into three categories based on their readiness to work, location, and disabilities. The system is accused of being discriminatory and lacking transparency, as it uses default criteria that may lead to social exclusion. A report by the Panoptykon Foundation in October 2015 highlighted these issues and recommended reforms, including granting the right to appeal.

Company involved

Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Commonwealth Bank worker made redundant after unknowingly training AI chatbot to replace her

Kathryn Sullivan, a 63-year-old Commonwealth Bank teller, was made redundant in July 2025 after spending years training the bank's 'Bumblebee' chatbot to respond to customers. She was unaware that she was helping the AI replace her own role. Sullivan confronted CEO Matt Comyn at the bank's AGM in Brisbane, where chairman Paul O'Malley acknowledged the bank had made a mistake. The Finance Sector Union had brought a case before the Fair Work Commission, resulting in some jobs being offered back, but not all.

Company involved

Commonwealth Bank

AI system involved

Bumblebee

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Audit reveals flaws in Spain's VioGén gender violence algorithm

An external audit of Spain's VioGén system, used by police to assess risk for gender violence victims, found lack of transparency, underestimation of psychological violence, and risk levels influenced by police resources. The audit, based on interviews and data from murdered women, revealed that 55 women who were killed had received insufficient protection. The Ministry of Interior denied the findings, calling the study lacking in rigor, and defended the system as scientifically validated.

Company involved

Ministerio del Interior

AI system involved

VioGén

7 source articles · read the reporting →