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 “Khan Academy” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-BBIPT515 Oct 2024

Google AI Overviews provide inaccurate finance information in 43% of searches

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 The AI-generated answers included outdated tax rules and incorrect student loan repayment plan details.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.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
AI Overviews

3 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-BP3BOC1 Aug 2020

SQA exam algorithm disproportionately downgraded poorer pupils, report finds

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) used an algorithm to moderate 2020 exam results after COVID-19 cancelled exams. The algorithm disproportionately downgraded students from disadvantaged backgrounds, leading to a public outcry and a government U-turn. An independent report criticised the SQA and Scottish Government for failing to properly assess the equality impacts and for not making the algorithm available for analysis. The SQA has expressed no regret over the moderation approach.

Company involved
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-W8MY6X1 Sep 2020

Middle schooler beats Edgenuity grading algorithm to get perfect score

A seventh-grade student in the Los Angeles Unified School District received a failing grade on a history assignment graded by Edgenuity's automated scoring algorithm. With help from his mother, a history professor, he reverse-engineered the algorithm by writing a paragraph with relevant keywords and a jumble of words, earning a perfect score. The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and fairness of automated grading systems in education.

Company involved
Los Angeles Unified School District
AI system involved
Edgenuity

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-53YZFN1 Jul 2023

Nevada's AI grad score model cuts funding for low-income students

Nevada replaced its income-based school funding formula with a machine learning model developed by Infinite Campus that generates a 'grad score' for each student. The model reduced the number of students eligible for supplemental funding from 288,000 to 63,000, disproportionately affecting low-income students. Critics argue the model lacks transparency and de-emphasizes economic status, potentially leaving many high-poverty schools underfunded.

Company involved
Nevada Department of Education
AI system involved
Grad score model

7 source articles · read the reporting →

Dartmouth Medical School charges 17 students with cheating based on tracking system.

Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine charged 17 students with cheating on remote exams during the pandemic. The charges were based on secret tracking of student activity on the learning management system. Critics say the system is prone to errors and inappropriate for monitoring students.

Company involved
Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-5M89U31 Jan 2026

Elon Musk asks X users to upload medical data to train Grok chatbot

Elon Musk has told X users to upload medical images to the platform so that the AI chatbot Grok can learn to interpret them. He claimed Grok can give medical diagnoses, sometimes better than doctors, but experts have raised concerns about accuracy and privacy. The article reports cases where Grok misread a tuberculosis case and a mammogram. xAI, which owns X, responded to Fortune: 'Legacy Media Lies.'

Company involved
X
AI system involved
Grok

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-I6R3LD1 Mar 2023

Stanford takes down Alpaca AI demo over safety and cost concerns

Stanford University took down the web demo of its Alpaca AI language model due to safety and cost concerns. The model, based on Meta's LLaMA, was fine-tuned to follow instructions but could generate misinformation and toxic text. Researchers decided to remove the demo after it became publicly accessible, citing inadequate content filters and rising hosting costs.

Company involved
Stanford University
AI system involved
Alpaca

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-3NJL6T1 Jan 2016

Buona Scuola algorithm mistakenly assigned thousands of teachers in Italy

In 2016, the Buona Scuola algorithm, used by the Italian Ministry of Education, mistakenly assigned thousands of teachers to wrong professional destinations based on mobility rankings. The system was later discontinued. The incident is reported in the Automating Society Report 2020.

Company involved
Italian Ministry of Education
AI system involved
Buona Scuola algorithm

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-JAFZJY1 Mar 2025

South Korea's AI textbook program rolled back after complaints

South Korea's Ministry of Education launched AI-powered digital textbooks in March 2025 for math, English, and computer science. Students, teachers, and parents complained about technical problems, inaccuracies, and data privacy risks. After four months, the textbooks were stripped of official status and made optional. The program was criticized for being rushed and insufficiently tested.

Company involved
South Korean Ministry of Education
AI system involved
AI-powered textbooks

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-39C1QL1 Sep 2021

Google's autocomplete subtitles mislead public about conspiracy theorists

A study by researchers at Simon Fraser University found that Google's autocomplete subtitle algorithm assigned neutral or positive labels to 30 of 37 conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones as 'American Radio Host' and Gavin McInnes as 'Canadian writer'. The researchers argue this can mislead the public and amplify extremist views because the labels do not reflect publicly known harmful roles. Google says the subtitles are generated automatically and that custom subtitles cannot be accepted. No response to the findings is reported.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
Google Autocomplete

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Answer.AI tests Devin and reports 14 failures in 20 tasks

Answer.AI's team tested Devin, an autonomous AI coding assistant, on 20 real-world tasks over a month. Devin succeeded in only 3 tasks, failed 14, and was inconclusive in 3. The team found Devin often produced overly complex or hallucinated solutions and could not recognize fundamental blockers. They ultimately decided to stick with tools that allow more human control.

AI system involved
Devin

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-EA6R453 Jan 2023

New York City Department of Education blocks ChatGPT on school devices

The New York City Department of Education blocked access to the AI chatbot ChatGPT on school devices and networks, citing concerns about negative impacts on student learning and the safety and accuracy of content. The ban applies to all students and teachers on education department devices and internet networks. Individual schools can still request access for studying the technology. The move is the nation's largest school system's response to the arrival of ChatGPT.

Company involved
New York City Department of Education
AI system involved
ChatGPT

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-23YPHU1 Jan 2018

SEC charges American Bitcoin Academy over $1.2M AI scam

Brian Sewell, through his company American Bitcoin Academy, allegedly defrauded 15 students of $1.2 million by claiming his Rockwell Fund would use AI to generate high returns. The SEC charged that Sewell never launched the fund and lost the investors' money when his Bitcoin wallet was hacked. The case was settled with Sewell agreeing to pay $1.6 million in disgorgement and a $233,229 penalty.

Company involved
American Bitcoin Academy

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Meta tracks employee keystrokes on Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia for AI training

Meta is using an internal tool, Model Capability Initiative (MCI), to capture employees' keystrokes, mouse movements and screen contents on work computers, including on sites such as Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Slack, to train AI agents. Meta confirmed the project and said safeguards protect sensitive content and that the data is not used for other purposes. Employees raised concerns in internal messages that the tool could expose passwords, product details and personal information. A Meta memo said staff can avoid capture by not doing personal work on work computers.

Company involved
Meta
AI system involved
Model Capability Initiative (MCI)

5 source articles · read the reporting →

AI unmasks anonymous chess players, study warns of privacy risks

A study described in Science shows that software can identify people who play chess anonymously, revealing their identities. Researchers, including Alexandra Wood, say the work highlights a growing privacy threat. The article does not name the software or any specific victims.

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-UENLG626 Mar 2024

ChatGPT use linked to memory loss and procrastination in students

A study published in the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education surveyed hundreds of university students in Pakistan and found that those who relied more on ChatGPT reported increased procrastination, memory loss, and lower GPAs. The researchers attribute this to the chatbot making schoolwork too easy, reducing students' cognitive effort. The study's lead author warned of a "dark side" to excessive generative AI usage.

Company involved
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
AI system involved
ChatGPT

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-7VGPYK1 Jan 2021

OpenAI transcribed YouTube videos to train GPT-4 without permission

OpenAI used its Whisper transcription model to transcribe over a million hours of YouTube videos, according to a New York Times report. The company allegedly used the transcripts to train GPT-4 despite knowing the practice was legally questionable. Google, which owns YouTube, said it prohibits unauthorized scraping of its content. OpenAI has said it believes its use of the data constitutes fair use.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
Whisper, GPT-4

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-IG5R9T9 Apr 2024

Texas uses AI to grade student STAAR test answers

The Texas Education Agency will use an automated scoring engine to grade written answers on the 2023 STAAR tests, replacing thousands of human graders. The system uses natural language processing and will initially score all responses, with a quarter rescored by humans. Educators have expressed concerns about the system's fairness and the potential for errors, especially for creative or non-standard answers.

Company involved
Texas Education Agency
AI system involved
automated scoring engine

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Google autocomplete suggested antisemitic searches to UK users

A report by the Community Security Trust and Antisemitism Policy Trust analysed Google searches in the United Kingdom and found that Google's autocomplete formula was suggesting antisemitic search queries, directing users to hateful content. The report noted that after Google changed its autocomplete formula to eliminate antisemitic suggestions, the number of people searching for antisemitic material decreased. The research highlights how algorithmic systems can amplify hate.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
Google Search autocomplete

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-NL6UK61 Jan 2020

Big Tech companies used YouTube videos to train AI without consent

Proof News found that subtitles from 173,536 YouTube videos were used by companies including Anthropic, Nvidia, Apple, and Salesforce to train AI models. The dataset, called YouTube Subtitles, was created by EleutherAI and published in 2020. Creators were not aware and some have expressed frustration, calling it theft. The companies have acknowledged using the dataset but argue it was publicly available.

Company involved
Anthropic, Nvidia, Apple, Salesforce, Bloomberg, Databricks
AI system involved
Claude, OpenELM

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-A4KNWS1 Oct 2025

OpenAI's Sora 2 allowed unauthorized use of Bryan Cranston's likeness

OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation platform allowed users to create images of actor Bryan Cranston without his permission, leading to a video of his 'Breaking Bad' character interacting with Michael Jackson. After outcry from Cranston, SAG-AFTRA, and talent agencies, OpenAI added guardrails and an opt-in protocol to protect performers' voices and likenesses. Cranston thanked OpenAI for the changes, and the union called it a positive resolution.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
Sora 2

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-2PVWQU31 May 2026

CBSE OnMark portal vulnerability exposed student data to Google Gemini

A 19-year-old ethical hacker, Nisarga Adhikary, claimed to have hacked the CBSE's digital evaluation ecosystem, revealing that personal information of students was processed by Google's Gemini in automation scripts. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) stated on May 31, 2026, that the identified vulnerabilities had been contained and other exploitable weaknesses were being ruled out. The board expressed gratitude to alert citizens and ethical hackers who pointed out the weaknesses. No actual data breach was confirmed, but the incident raised concerns about student privacy.

Company involved
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
AI system involved
OnMark

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-L3V9H031 Jan 2025

Google Gemini generated false cheese statistic in Super Bowl ad

In a Google Super Bowl ad, the Gemini AI system displayed a false statistic claiming that Gouda accounts for 50 to 60 percent of the world's cheese consumption. Nate Hake pointed out the error on X, and Google executive Jerry Dischler responded that it was not a hallucination and that users could check references. Google later removed the statistic from the video on YouTube.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
Gemini

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-U2Y7Z515 Oct 2025

Mass AI cheating scandal at Yonsei University with hundreds of students using ChatGPT

A large-scale cheating scandal has erupted at Yonsei University, where hundreds of students in a third-year online course are suspected of using AI tools such as ChatGPT to cheat on their midterm exam. The professor discovered signs of misconduct and offered students a chance to confess, with those coming forward receiving a zero but no further penalty. A poll on a student community app indicated that over half of respondents admitted to cheating. The university has not yet established clear guidelines on AI use.

Company involved
Yonsei University
AI system involved
ChatGPT

6 source articles · read the reporting →

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