The 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.

Reports people file about their own experience are not shown here and never will be without their agreement. Tell us what happened to you.

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68 incidents closest to “IDeaS Optix” · matched on meaning · public reporting

Researchers demonstrate drone attack on Renault Captur ADAS with fake road signs

Security researchers from Ben Gurion University demonstrated a vulnerability in the Mobileye ADAS system used in a Renault Captur. They used drones to project fake road signs for 100 milliseconds, too quick for human perception but detectable by the system. The attack could trick the car into making unsafe maneuvers, though the system is only Level 0 (advisory). The researchers published their findings in a paper titled 'MobilBye: Attacking ADAS with Camera Spoofing'.

AI system involved
Mobileye ADAS

7 source articles · read the reporting →

Southern Co-op uses facial recognition with Hikvision cameras

Southern Co-op, a UK grocery chain, deployed a facial recognition system using Hikvision cameras in its stores. The system is used to identify and track customers, but the grocer did not inform customers or obtain their consent. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about compliance with GDPR and ethical risks. The grocer has stated it is committed to a high standard of privacy.

Company involved
Southern Co-op

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-PEFP2L8 Sep 2020

Proctorio's exam proctoring system allows human agents to review student feeds despite privacy claims

A security researcher analyzed Proctorio's Chrome extension and found evidence that the system allows human agents to review students' room scans and live ID checks, contrary to Proctorio's claims that only professors can access recordings. The system flags students based on behavioral metrics and can terminate exams. The researcher also raised concerns about discrimination against low-income students and privacy violations.

Company involved
Proctorio
AI system involved
Proctorio

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Clearview AI tested facial recognition surveillance cameras with UFT and Rudin

Clearview AI, the facial recognition company that scraped billions of photos from social media, developed a surveillance camera system under the name Insight Camera. The system was tested by the United Federation of Teachers and Rudin Management in New York City. The UFT used it to identify individuals who had made threats and prevent them from entering its offices. Clearview did not respond to requests for comment.

Company involved
Clearview AI
AI system involved
Insight Camera

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-FYG1621 Jan 2020

AI drug discovery system repurposed to generate toxic molecules in demonstration

In 2020, Collaborations Pharmaceuticals demonstrated that its AI drug discovery system, MegaSyn, could be repurposed to generate toxic molecules similar to the nerve agent VX. The company ran the software overnight and produced 40,000 potentially hazardous substances. The researchers presented their findings at a conference and briefed the White House, warning that such AI systems could be misused to create chemical weapons.

Company involved
Collaborations Pharmaceuticals
AI system involved
MegaSyn

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-JH5L2X26 Mar 2021

Teleperformance plans AI webcam surveillance for home-working staff

Teleperformance, a global call centre company, told some staff it would install AI-powered webcams to monitor home-working infractions such as eating, phone use, or leaving desks. The system would randomly scan for breaches and send alerts to managers. After the Guardian inquired, the company said the remote scans would not be used in the UK, but the plan raised concerns from unions and MPs about invasive surveillance.

Company involved
Teleperformance

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Uttar Pradesh Police uses AI cameras to track women's distress

Uttar Pradesh Police, in collaboration with Staqu Technologies, deployed AI-powered cameras in Lucknow for surveillance of women in distress. Activists have criticised the system for invading privacy. The system is currently in use.

Company involved
Uttar Pradesh Police
AI system involved
Trinetra

10 source articles · read the reporting →

DeepScore markets facial and voice analysis app for trustworthiness scoring despite experts' doubts

DeepScore, a Tokyo-based company, is marketing an app that uses facial and voice recognition to score people's trustworthiness for lenders and insurers in Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company says the app can detect deception with 70 per cent accuracy, but researchers and privacy advocates say there is no reliable scientific basis for such judgments and warn of discrimination and privacy harms. The chief executive said the system is only one part of lenders' and insurers' decision-making and that people can choose not to use it. Critics respond that an unequal balance of power makes consent difficult.

Company involved
DeepScore
AI system involved
DeepScore

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-ZQ3YFL1 Dec 2020

Retorio AI personality test swayed by candidate appearance in BR experiment

Bayerischer Rundfunk journalists conducted experiments with Retorio's AI video interview analysis tool. The AI, which assesses personality traits from short videos, produced different scores when the same actress changed her appearance (glasses, headscarf, wig) or the video background and lighting were altered. The start-up Retorio acknowledged that the AI considers external image, similar to a human interviewer. Experts warned that such software could perpetuate stereotypes and unfairly affect job candidates.

AI system involved
Retorio AI

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-FST9Z61 Apr 2018

ViaQuatro's facial recognition system in São Paulo metro challenged in court

In April 2018, ViaQuatro installed the Digital Interactive Doors System, developed by AdMobilize, on the São Paulo metro's yellow line. The system used cameras to detect passengers' faces and claimed to infer their emotion, age, and gender in order to target advertisements. The Brazilian Institute of Consumer Protection (IDEC) filed a public civil action alleging that the system violated consumer and data protection laws by processing biometric data without consent and making pseudoscientific and discriminatory inferences. A judge ordered the cameras removed in August 2018, and the case is pending a final ruling.

Company involved
ViaQuatro
AI system involved
Digital Interactive Doors System (DID system)

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Adobe uses Creative Cloud user data to train AI

Adobe's content analysis feature may scan Creative Cloud and Document Cloud files to train machine learning models, including object recognition in Lightroom and Liquid Mode in Acrobat. The company says it may analyze images, audio, video, text and other documents stored on its servers. Adobe offers an opt-out in account privacy settings, but the article notes the company did not ask first.

Company involved
Adobe
AI system involved
Content analysis

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-2ITU5Z1 Jan 2020

Canon uses AI smile recognition cameras to control office access

Canon Information Technology deployed AI cameras at its Beijing headquarters that only allow smiling employees to enter the office or book conference rooms. The system uses smile recognition to enforce a positive atmosphere. Some workers have complained about the intrusiveness of the technology. Canon defended the system, saying it encourages a positive work environment.

Company involved
Canon Information Technology (Canon China)

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-XO6C6612 Jul 2021

Userviz machine-learning aimbot shut down after Activision request

A developer known as User101 shut down the Userviz cheat after Activision requested that he stop developing it. The software used computer vision and machine learning to automate aiming in games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, and was marketed as undetectable. It was never published, and the developer said his intention was not to do anything illegal.

Company involved
User101
AI system involved
Userviz

7 source articles · read the reporting →

EPIC lawsuit challenges USPS secret surveillance program using facial recognition

The United States Postal Service's law enforcement wing, the Postal Inspection Service, ran a secret surveillance program called the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) that used facial recognition from Clearview AI and social media monitoring tools to infiltrate online communities and monitor protests. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) sued the USPS for failing to conduct and publish a privacy impact assessment as required by the E-Government Act. A federal district court dismissed the lawsuit on standing grounds, ruling that EPIC did not suffer a cognizable injury from the agency's refusal to disclose information about the program.

Company involved
United States Postal Service
AI system involved
Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP)

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-OGHTXE1 Jun 2025

Intellexa Predator spyware used to surveil human rights lawyer in Pakistan

In summer 2025, a human rights lawyer from Pakistan's Balochistan province was targeted via WhatsApp with Intellexa's Predator spyware, according to Amnesty International's Security Lab. The attack is part of a broader pattern of unlawful surveillance of activists, journalists and human rights defenders. The Intellexa Leaks investigation exposed internal operations of the spyware company, raising concerns about human rights due diligence.

AI system involved
Predator spyware

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-J5IU7Z3 Dec 2024

FTC settles with IntelliVision over deceptive facial recognition claims

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against IntelliVision Technologies Corp. for making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about its AI-powered facial recognition software. The company allegedly claimed its software had one of the highest accuracy rates on the market and was free of gender or racial bias, without supporting evidence. The FTC also alleged that IntelliVision did not train its software on millions of faces as claimed, but on images of approximately 100,000 individuals. Under a proposed consent order, IntelliVision is prohibited from making such misrepresentations without competent and reliable testing.

Company involved
IntelliVision Technologies Corp.
AI system involved
IntelliVision facial recognition software

9 source articles · read the reporting →

Google Health's diabetic retinopathy AI faced real-world issues in Thailand clinics

Google Health deployed a deep-learning system to screen for diabetic retinopathy in 11 clinics across Thailand. The AI was highly accurate in lab tests but rejected over a fifth of eye scans in real-world conditions due to poor lighting and slow internet. Patients whose scans were rejected had to visit specialists at other clinics, causing inconvenience and frustration for nurses. Google Health is now working with local staff to improve the system's workflow.

Company involved
Google Health

10 source articles · read the reporting →

OpenAI's CLIP vision system fooled by handwritten notes

OpenAI researchers discovered that their CLIP computer vision system can be deceived by handwritten labels placed on objects. The system's multimodal neurons respond to text as well as images, causing it to misidentify objects. The attack, called a typographic attack, is a research finding and not a deployed system. No actual harm occurred.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
CLIP

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-VT0QB430 Dec 2024

Apple's Enhanced Visual Search raises privacy concerns over default data sharing

Apple's iOS 18 update introduced an 'Enhanced Visual Search' feature that automatically shares encrypted photo data with Apple to identify landmarks. The feature is enabled by default, requiring users to manually opt out, which has sparked privacy concerns. Critics argue it should be opt-in, given Apple's usual privacy standards. The article reports on the feature's design and the resulting debate, not on any specific harm to an individual.

Company involved
Apple
AI system involved
Enhanced Visual Search

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-3UCXWE1 Jul 2023

Study finds Midjourney, DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion accept over 85% of fake news prompts

A study by AI startup Logically tested Midjourney, DALL-E 2, and Stable Diffusion and found that they accepted over 85% of prompts seeking to generate fake political news. The systems generated images of ballot stuffing, small boat arrivals, and explosions. Logically warned that the lack of moderation could pose threats to upcoming elections. Stability AI responded by stating its ethical use license and measures to prevent misuse.

Company involved
Midjourney, OpenAI, Stability AI
AI system involved
Midjourney, DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion

8 source articles · read the reporting →

Researchers jailbreak Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2 to generate disturbing images

Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Duke universities developed a method called SneakyPrompt that uses reinforcement learning to bypass safety filters in text-to-image AI models. The technique allowed them to generate images of nudity and violence from Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2. OpenAI has since fixed the vulnerability in DALL-E 2, but Stable Diffusion 1.4 remains vulnerable. Stability AI says it is working with the researchers to improve defenses.

AI system involved
Stable Diffusion 1.4 and DALL-E 2

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-Q9F9497 Oct 2023

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 →

Stable Diffusion reproduces exact copies of training images

Researchers found that Stable Diffusion, an AI image generation model, can reproduce exact copies of images from its training dataset, including copyrighted material and personal photos. The model memorized over a thousand training examples, posing copyright and privacy risks. The researchers warn that this is an industry-wide problem affecting models like DALL-E 2 and Imagen.

Company involved
Stability AI
AI system involved
Stable Diffusion

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-Y7PFHY1 Jan 2024

Wacom responds to concerns about AI-generated images in marketing assets

Wacom acknowledged that it may have used AI-generated images in US marketing assets for the New Year. The company stated it purchased the images from a third-party vendor who indicated they were not AI-generated, and that it vetted them using online tools that also indicated they were not AI-generated. After community feedback raised doubts, Wacom discontinued the images and is reviewing its processes to prevent recurrence. The company attributed the incident to misleading vendor information and detection tool limitations.

Company involved
Wacom

10 source articles · read the reporting →

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