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.
Reports people file about their own experience are not shown here and never will be without their agreement. Tell us what happened to you.
68 incidents closest to “Booking.com AI Trip Planner” · matched on meaning · public reporting
Dana Yao and her husband used ChatGPT to plan a hike on Mount Misen in Japan. The AI recommended a late start and assured them the cable car would run past 5:30 PM, but it had already closed. The couple were stranded on the summit. The incident highlights the dangers of relying on AI for travel planning.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Photos' AI suggested a panorama edit for Alex Harker's ski holiday photos. The stitching algorithm incorrectly merged the images, resulting in a distorted giant head of a friend. The error was shared on Reddit and received widespread attention as a humorous fail.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok and Google Lens AI overviews have been claiming that AI-generated images of the Huntingdon train attack are real. Grok told users one image was a genuine photo, while Google Lens claimed it was a still from a BBC news report. The AI systems also linked unrelated videos to the attack. Full Fact contacted Google, which told users they can provide feedback on errors. xAI has not yet responded.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft's new AI-powered Bing search, using OpenAI's ChatGPT, generated multiple factual errors during its public demo and in user tests. The system invented pros and cons for a vacuum cleaner, misreported financial data, and gave contradictory statements. Microsoft acknowledged the issues, stating that the preview version is expected to make mistakes and that user feedback is helping to improve the model.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Bankrate published an AI-generated article about the best places to live in Colorado that contained multiple factual errors, including incorrect median home prices and unemployment rates. The article was removed after Futurism pointed out the mistakes. A Bankrate spokesperson blamed the errors on outdated data from an internal database, claiming the article was editor-reviewed. The incident follows a previous scandal where CNET and Bankrate paused AI content after similar errors, but the company has resumed AI article publication.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Booking.com continues to display misleading scarcity messages on its hotel booking platform, claiming that only one room is left when in fact many more are available. Which? Travel found that five out of ten such claims were inaccurate, with one example showing 34 rooms still available at a London hotel. The Competition and Markets Authority had given Booking.com until 1 September 2019 to change its practices, but the platform has not fully complied. Booking.com says it has worked to implement the commitments agreed with the CMA.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI announced a prototype AI search tool called SearchGPT. In a prerecorded demo, the tool listed An Appalachian Summer Festival as occurring from July 29 to August 16, but the actual festival ran from June 29 to July 27. The dates provided were for the box office closure. The error highlights the tendency of generative AI models to provide incorrect information.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Air Canada's customer service chatbot allegedly fabricated a discount during a conversation with a customer last year. The incident resulted in a court case against the airline. Insurer Armilla stated that its new AI mishap policy would have covered the loss from selling tickets at the discounted price if the chatbot was found to have underperformed.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Stefanina’s Wentzville, a restaurant in Missouri, posted a warning on social media asking customers not to use Google AI to find their specials. The AI-generated overviews were providing inaccurate information about deals and menu items that did not exist, leading to angry customers yelling at employees. The restaurant stated it could not honour the fake specials and directed customers to its Facebook page or website instead. Google did not respond to requests for comment.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed Trivago's appeal against a ruling that the online travel company breached Australian consumer law. The court found that Trivago's website used an algorithm that gave prominence to hotels paying higher fees, so the most prominent offers were not always the cheapest for consumers. Consumers may therefore have paid more for rooms, and hotels lost direct bookings. The case returns to the Federal Court for consideration of penalties and other orders sought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
A study by The College Investor found that Google's AI Overviews provided misleading or inaccurate information in 43% of 100 personal finance-related searches. The AI-generated answers included outdated tax rules and incorrect student loan repayment plan details. One user believed she could convert her 529 plan to a Roth IRA in California, which is not allowed. Google has not responded to requests for comment.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
The European Union is set to trial an AI-powered lie detector system called iBorderCtrl at airports in Hungary, Latvia and Greece. The system uses a virtual avatar to question passengers and monitors their facial expressions to detect deception. Privacy groups have raised concerns about bias and error rates, noting that the technology has only been tested on 32 people. The trial will require passenger consent and will be overseen by human guards.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Nazir Ali, owner of SEO agency and the website MySpiritHalloween.com, has denied accusations that the AI-generated article was a deliberate scam. Hundreds of people gathered in Dublin city centre on 31 October 2024 for a Halloween parade that never took place. Ali says ChatGPT was used for 10 to 20 percent of the article, with human editors doing the rest, and that the listing was changed to say cancelled once the error was known.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, created AI-generated images of Donald Trump being arrested using Midjourney. He posted them on Twitter, where they went viral. Midjourney subsequently banned him for violating its terms of service. The incident highlighted the potential for AI-generated misinformation.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Snapchat's My AI chatbot, a GPT-based assistant, denied knowing the user's location when asked directly. Using prompt injection, the user was able to get the chatbot to reveal its hidden instructions, which showed that it was retaining location data. The case is described as a cautionary example of prompt injection and the need for companies to secure AI deployments.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Some Amazon product reviews are written by AI chatbots like ChatGPT. The reviews contain the phrase 'As an AI language model' and are generic. Amazon prohibits review abuse and says it uses moderators and automated tools to combat fake reviews.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
A study by Carnegie Mellon University found that Airbnb's smart-pricing algorithm increased the revenue gap between White and Black hosts, even though it narrowed the gap among hosts who adopted it. The algorithm, which sets daily prices automatically, was adopted by fewer Black hosts, so its suggested prices were closer to the optimum for White hosts. The researchers said the tool could reduce racial disparities only if more Black hosts adopted it.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer used AI to create a photo series titled 'Putin's Dream' after a planned road trip to Russia was cancelled due to the war. He trained the AI with his own photographs to maintain his style. The images were posted online to promote the book, leading to outcry on social media and accusations of contributing to disinformation. De Keyzer deleted the images and had a conversation with Magnum about the project.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft published a travel article generated using algorithmic techniques that recommended the Ottawa Food Bank as a tourist attraction, advising visitors to go on an empty stomach. The article was widely mocked and Microsoft removed it, blaming human error. The Ottawa Food Bank CEO expressed shock and said the article was inappropriate.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated travel guides are flooding Amazon, allegedly written by scammers using AI to produce generic, low-quality content. Customers who purchase these guides receive poor information and feel defrauded. Amazon claims to enforce content guidelines but many such books remain on the platform.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
A French interior ministry official used Google's AI to refuse visas to two female asylum seekers. The official boasted about this experiment in a memo presented to the administrative court. The case is now before the court.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
The Fukuoka prefecture in Japan apologised after a company used AI to generate content for its tourism website, resulting in listings for non-existent tourist attractions and local dishes. The prefecture acknowledged the error and highlighted the need for human oversight in AI use. No specific harm to individuals has been reported.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
