The public record

Where automated decisions went wrong

Incidents gathered from public reporting around the world. Each one links to the articles it came from. None of it is a finding that anyone broke the law.

Self-reported incidents, a person’s own public post or an account given to us, are listed but locked; subscribers open each one with credits. Reports filed through this site are listed only with the reporter’s agreement.

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4,800 incidentspress and self-reported

Page 149 of 200

Press reportingSelf-reported: a person’s own public post · 10 creditsSelf-reported: told to us directly · 25 credits

WF-F29GZQHappened 17 Apr 2024Live 5 Oct 2026
Meta AI Chatbot Falsely Claims to Have a Child in NYC Parents Group
Meta's AI chatbot responded to a parent's question in a private Facebook group for New York City parents, falsely claiming to have a twice-exceptional child enrolled in a specific public school's gifted program. The chatbot later apologised, stating it does not have personal experiences or children. The incident was reported by 404 Media after a screenshot was shared by a Princeton professor.
Company
Meta
AI system
Meta AI chatbot
2 source articles404media.co
WF-ET4LFMLive 5 Oct 2026
Facebook misinformation fueled Rohingya ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
In Myanmar, Facebook's platform became a primary news source, and anti-Rohingya propaganda and doctored photos went viral, fueling ethnic cleansing and mass displacement. The company had partnered with a state-run telecom to offer free access to Facebook, rapidly increasing its user base. Facebook faced criticism for failing to moderate harmful content, while it focused on election interference issues in the U.S. The violence against the Rohingya minority was ongoing.
Company
Facebook
5 source articlesnytimes.com
WF-EP9F6MHappened 1 Mar 2023Live 5 Oct 2026
Lawyers fined $5,000 after citing fake ChatGPT-generated cases in court
Two lawyers from Levidow, Levidow, & Oberman used ChatGPT to research legal precedents for a client's personal injury case against Avianca. The AI chatbot generated six non-existent cases, which the lawyers submitted to a federal court without verification. After the opposing party and the judge questioned the citations, the lawyers initially stood by them before admitting the error. The judge dismissed the case and imposed a $5,000 fine on the lawyers for bad faith conduct.
Company
Levidow, Levidow, & Oberman
AI system
ChatGPT
10 source articlesarstechnica.com
WF-EQWUTDHappened 6 Dec 2017Live 5 Oct 2026
Waze App Routed Drivers Toward LA Wildfire Zones
During the December 2017 Los Angeles wildfires, the Waze navigation app reportedly directed drivers towards roads with light traffic that were empty because fires were burning nearby. The Los Angeles Police Department asked residents to avoid such apps. Waze responded by closing approximately 443 road segments in consultation with the L.A. Department of Transportation and stated that its crisis response team worked to update maps in real time. No injuries were reported, but the incident exposed the risks of relying on real-time routing algorithms during natural disasters.
Company
Waze
AI system
Waze
10 source articlesinverse.com
WF-EV7HJYHappened 1 Mar 2024Live 5 Oct 2026
Fake AI law firm sends DMCA threats for SEO backlinks
Ernie Smith, writer of the Tedium newsletter, received a DMCA copyright notice from 'Commonwealth Legal', a firm that appears to be entirely fabricated using AI-generated images and text. The notice demanded he add a backlink to the gadget review site Tech4Gods for a keyfob photo legitimately sourced from Unsplash. The scheme is designed to generate fake SEO gains through backlinks, and Smith did not receive any follow-up after the stated deadline.
Company
Commonwealth Legal
AI system
Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) model
1 source articlearstechnica.com
WF-EHCEG7Happened 10 Apr 2024Live 5 Oct 2026
LastPass Employee Targeted by Audio Deepfake Impersonating CEO
On 10 April 2024, a LastPass employee received WhatsApp calls, texts, and a voicemail featuring an audio deepfake of the company's CEO. The employee recognised the communication as a social engineering attempt due to forced urgency and unusual channels, and reported it to internal security. LastPass stated there was no impact to the company and shared the incident to raise awareness of deepfake threats.
3 source articlesblog.lastpass.com
WF-ESLH7DLive 5 Oct 2026
AI deepfakes of Swedish doctors used in fraud campaign
Scammers are using AI-generated videos of well-known Swedish doctors, including Anders Tegnell and Agnes Wold, to trick people into providing credit card details. The fake advertisements feature the doctors' likenesses without consent. Agnes Wold called the practice 'disgusting'. The fraud targets Swedes online.
2 source articlesdn.se
WF-EN4Q3UHappened 11 Oct 2017Live 5 Oct 2026
WeChat Translation Renders 'Black Foreigner' as Racial Slur, Apologises
In October 2017, WeChat's in-app translation service translated a neutral Chinese phrase meaning 'black foreigner' into the n-word when a black theater director in Shanghai was described as running late. The director, Ann James, saw the slur in a group chat. WeChat apologised and immediately fixed the error, attributing it to neural machine translation that had learned racist associations from training data. The incident highlighted how AI can amplify biases present in its source material.
Company
WeChat
AI system
WeChat translation
5 source articlesgizmodo.com
WF-EQ3EF5Happened 16 Nov 2024Live 5 Oct 2026
Deepfake video falsely shows Trump demanding Nnamdi Kanu's release
A deepfake video circulated on social media falsely depicting US President-elect Donald Trump urging Nigeria to release IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. The AI-generated video used old footage and synthetic audio to fabricate the statement. Fact-checkers confirmed the video is inauthentic, noting it contained a non-existent date of 'November 31st'. The incident highlights the misuse of AI to create convincing but false political narratives.
1 source articlefactcheckafrica.net
WF-EK8S5MHappened 1 Oct 2023Live 5 Oct 2026
Student at University of South-Eastern Norway used deepfake video to cheat on Spanish exam
A student at the University of South-Eastern Norway submitted AI-generated deepfake videos for Spanish language assessments in autumn 2023. The videos featured a synthetic voice and manipulated face, with perfect pronunciation but elementary errors. The university's appeals committee found her guilty of cheating, annulled her exams, and excluded her for two semesters. The student admitted using AI and withdrew from the programme.
Company
Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge
1 source articlekhrono.no
WF-EE648BHappened 1 Aug 2025Live 5 Oct 2026
Guernsey Deputy Targeted in AI-Generated Investment Scam
Scammers used AI-generated video and fake press reports to impersonate Guernsey's senior politician, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, falsely showing her endorsing a non-existent government investment scheme. The deputy warned the public on social media not to fall for the scam, which contained a typo referring to her as 'Mr.' No financial losses have been reported, but the incident is part of a series of scams using recognisable local figures and media.
3 source articlesislandfm.com
WF-EGM8LDLive 5 Oct 2026
Mother targeted by AI voice cloning scam in fake kidnapping
A mother in Arizona received a phone call from scammers who used AI to clone her daughter's voice, making her believe her daughter had been kidnapped. The scammers demanded a ransom, but the mother confirmed her daughter was safe before paying. The incident highlights the growing threat of AI voice cloning scams.
3 source articlesedition.cnn.com
WF-EEQHSJHappened 12 Aug 2017Live 5 Oct 2026
Google's Perspective API Found to Exhibit Racial Bias in Toxicity Scores
In August 2017, Robyn Speer demonstrated that Google's Perspective API, a toxicity classifier, assigned higher toxicity scores to names associated with Black people and to terms like 'Mexican food' and 'Islam'. The system, intended to fight online toxicity, was found to replicate biases from its training data. Google's team later acknowledged the issue but attributed it to out-of-vocabulary word handling, and made superficial changes to the demo without addressing the underlying model bias.
Company
Google
AI system
Perspective API
8 source articlesblog.conceptnet.io
WF-EG7H4ZHappened 15 Aug 2025Live 5 Oct 2026
Google AI directs traveller to scam customer service number
Alex Rivlin used Google to find a cruise company's customer service number while booking a shuttle for a European holiday. Google's AI surfaced a number that connected him to a knowledgeable-sounding representative, to whom he gave his credit card details. The number was a scam, representing a new AI-enabled twist on a long-running travel fraud. The article warns readers about this evolving threat.
Company
Google
AI system
Google AI Overviews
1 source articlewashingtonpost.com
WF-EBCCF5Happened 30 Jun 2020Live 5 Oct 2026
Miami Police Used Clearview AI to Identify Protester
NBC 6 Investigators revealed that Miami Police used the facial recognition program Clearview AI to identify Oriana Albornoz, a 25-year-old woman, as the person accused of throwing rocks at officers during a protest on May 30, 2020. She was arrested a month later and charged with battery on a police officer; her attorney said he was unaware police had used the technology, as it was not disclosed in the arrest report. The police department acknowledged using Clearview AI to identify violent protest suspects after the fact, but stated they do not surveil peaceful protesters. The case is ongoing, with Albornoz pleading not guilty.
Company
Miami Police Department
AI system
Clearview AI
4 source articlesnbcmiami.com
WF-ECKQHGHappened 19 Feb 2026Live 5 Oct 2026
xAI's Grok doxxes adult performer Siri Dahl, revealing legal name and birthdate
xAI's AI chatbot Grok revealed adult performer Siri Dahl's legal name and birthdate to users, putting her security at risk. Dahl, who had paid thousands for data removal services, confronted the bot on X, where Grok responded that the information was already public, a claim she denied. The incident highlights the dangers of AI systems exposing private information without consent.
Company
xAI
AI system
Grok
1 source articlemashable.com
WF-EAZWHSHappened 21 Oct 2025Live 5 Oct 2026
John Reid campaign debates AI version of opponent Ghazala Hashmi
Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid staged a debate with an AI-generated version of his Democratic opponent, Ghazala Hashmi, after she declined to participate. The AI was trained on Hashmi's public statements and delivered remarks in a robotic voice. Hashmi's campaign stated she did not consent to the use of her likeness. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about AI use in political campaigns.
Company
John Reid campaign
2 source articlesaxios.com
WF-E568QXHappened 1 Apr 2018Live 5 Oct 2026
Bronx Man Jailed Six Months After Facial Recognition Misidentification
In April 2018, a Bronx man was arrested for stealing socks from a TJ Maxx after police used facial recognition to identify him from security footage. He maintained he was at a hospital for his child's birth. A prosecutor disclosed the use of facial recognition, and a judge ordered a hearing on the identification process. The man accepted a plea deal for time served after spending six months in jail, avoiding a trial.
Company
New York Police Department
2 source articleswired.com
WF-EAXKQ2Happened 19 May 2017Live 5 Oct 2026
HSBC voice ID breached by customer's twin brother
BBC reporter Dan Simmons set up an HSBC voice-ID authenticated account. His non-identical twin brother Joe was able to mimic his voice and gain access after eight attempts, viewing balances and transactions and being offered the chance to transfer money. HSBC acknowledged the breach and reduced the number of allowed attempts from seven to three. The bank stated that the system remains secure and that the scenario was not typical of fraud.
Company
HSBC
AI system
Voice ID
3 source articlestheguardian.com
WF-E9KSHRHappened 31 Dec 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Amazon hid rising injury rates at robotic warehouses
Internal records obtained by Reveal show Amazon misled the public about worker safety, with serious injury rates at its fulfilment centres rising 33% from 2016 to 2019. Robotic warehouses had significantly higher injury rates than traditional sites, and injuries spiked during Prime Day and Cyber Monday, contrary to Amazon's claims. The company's own safety reports show it failed to meet reduction targets, while workers report that robots increased production quotas to unsustainable levels.
Company
Amazon
AI system
Amazon robotic fulfilment system
2 source articlesrevealnews.org
WF-E6S3EXHappened 6 Jul 2020Live 5 Oct 2026
International Baccalaureate's Secret Algorithm Downgrades Students, Jeopardising College Admissions
In July 2020, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program used a statistical model to predict final grades for over 170,000 students after cancelling exams due to Covid-19. Many students, including Anahita Nagpal, received lower-than-expected scores, causing them to lose college places and scholarships. Students, parents, and teachers questioned the fairness and transparency of the algorithm, with over 15,000 signing a petition demanding a fairer approach. IB defended the model but offered an appeals process, while some students planned to retake exams at their own expense.
Company
International Baccalaureate
1 source articlewired.com
WF-E4JT2LHappened 1 May 2026Live 5 Oct 2026
Bay Area mom loses $5,400 in AI voice cloning kidnapping scam
Deborah Del Mastro received a call from scammers claiming her daughter was kidnapped. They used AI to clone her daughter's voice, convincing her to wire $5,400 to Mexico. After following instructions for five hours, she discovered her daughter was safe and the call was a scam. Martinez police are investigating, but Del Mastro does not expect to recover the money.
1 source articleabc7news.com
WF-DZTK8YLive 5 Oct 2026
Docomo Pacific CEO's mother targeted in AI voice cloning scam
Docomo Pacific's CEO Christine Baleto revealed that her elderly mother received a scam call from someone impersonating a federal agent, using AI voice cloning to pressure her into revealing personal information. The caller threatened to send agents to her home if she did not comply. Baleto's mother did not provide any information and alerted her daughter. Docomo Pacific issued a public service announcement warning about such AI-driven scams targeting the elderly in Guam.
2 source articlespostguam.com
WF-E4QQ9PHappened 1 Aug 2025Live 5 Oct 2026
OpenAI fails to remove 110,000 ChatGPT chats from Archive.org
OpenAI removed nearly 50,000 shared ChatGPT conversations from Google's index after a Digital Digging investigation, but a new investigation with researcher Nicolas Deleur found over 110,000 conversations preserved on Archive.org's Wayback Machine. These include chats containing corporate strategies to exploit indigenous communities, political dissent, and academic fraud. OpenAI did not respond to notification, and the Wayback Machine director said no large-scale exclusion request had been made.
Company
OpenAI
AI system
ChatGPT
5 source articlesdigitaldigging.org

Each incident is written from the reporting or the account it cites. A report is an allegation, not a finding.

Meta AI Chatbot Falsely Claims to Have a Child in NYC Parents Group

Facebook misinformation fueled Rohingya ethnic cleansing in Myanmar

Lawyers fined $5,000 after citing fake ChatGPT-generated cases in court

Waze App Routed Drivers Toward LA Wildfire Zones

Fake AI law firm sends DMCA threats for SEO backlinks

LastPass Employee Targeted by Audio Deepfake Impersonating CEO

AI deepfakes of Swedish doctors used in fraud campaign

WeChat Translation Renders 'Black Foreigner' as Racial Slur, Apologises

Deepfake video falsely shows Trump demanding Nnamdi Kanu's release

Student at University of South-Eastern Norway used deepfake video to cheat on Spanish exam

Guernsey Deputy Targeted in AI-Generated Investment Scam

Mother targeted by AI voice cloning scam in fake kidnapping

Google's Perspective API Found to Exhibit Racial Bias in Toxicity Scores

Google AI directs traveller to scam customer service number

Miami Police Used Clearview AI to Identify Protester

xAI's Grok doxxes adult performer Siri Dahl, revealing legal name and birthdate

John Reid campaign debates AI version of opponent Ghazala Hashmi

Bronx Man Jailed Six Months After Facial Recognition Misidentification

HSBC voice ID breached by customer's twin brother

Amazon hid rising injury rates at robotic warehouses

International Baccalaureate's Secret Algorithm Downgrades Students, Jeopardising College Admissions

Bay Area mom loses $5,400 in AI voice cloning kidnapping scam

Docomo Pacific CEO's mother targeted in AI voice cloning scam

OpenAI fails to remove 110,000 ChatGPT chats from Archive.org