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 “Z-HAIL (Hail)” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-LMTEHE11 Apr 2026

Waymo restricts freeway rides after robotaxis enter construction zones

Waymo has voluntarily recalled 3,871 robotaxis after some entered freeway construction zones in Phoenix and the Bay Area. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the software may allow a vehicle to enter a closed construction zone, increasing crash risk. Waymo is developing a software fix to detect and avoid construction zones. No crashes or injuries were reported.

Company involved
Waymo
AI system involved
Waymo fifth-generation automated driving system

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CG6W7T12 Mar 2025

AI deepfake of Trump calling Zelenskiy 'Temu Zelenskiy' spreads on Facebook

An AI-generated video depicting US President Donald Trump calling Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 'Temu Zelenskiy' for not wearing a suit was shared on Facebook as if real. The video was created by a YouTube account, DangerousAI, which describes its content as AI parody, but the Facebook posts did not include this disclaimer. Some users appeared to believe the video was genuine, while others recognised it as a joke. AAP FactCheck confirmed the video is a deepfake with telltale signs of AI generation.

Company involved
DangerousAI

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-EWS6VU5 Dec 2025

U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert System Sends False Earthquake Alert to Cellphones

Last week, the ShakeAlert early earthquake warning system managed by the U.S. Geological Survey issued a false alert for a magnitude-5.9 earthquake near Dayton, Nevada. The automated system sent critical alerts to cellphones hundreds of miles away, urging people to drop and hold on to something sturdy. The USGS blamed a technical glitch for the false alarm, and California lawmakers have demanded answers regarding the cause and the system’s verification safeguards.

Company involved
U.S. Geological Survey
AI system involved
ShakeAlert

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Tesla Autopilot Misidentifies Horse-Drawn Carriage as Truck in Switzerland

A Tesla driver in Switzerland recorded his car's Autopilot system misidentifying a horse-drawn carriage as various objects, including a truck spinning into a head-on collision. The incident, which occurred on a highway outside Zurich, was a near miss with no accident. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The driver posted the video online, highlighting a potential safety flaw in the system's object detection.

Company involved
Tesla
AI system involved
Autopilot

3 source articles · read the reporting →

Gamma AI Presentation Tool Exploited in Multi-Stage Phishing Campaign

Threat actors used Gamma, an AI-powered presentation builder, to host a page that redirected recipients to a fake Microsoft SharePoint login portal. Emails sent from compromised legitimate accounts passed authentication checks, while a Cloudflare Turnstile blocked automated security scanners. An adversary-in-the-middle framework validated credentials in real time and captured session cookies, enabling multi-factor authentication bypass on Microsoft accounts. Abnormal reported the campaign on 15 April 2025.

AI system involved
Gamma

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-QXCVQM20 Apr 2026

Waymo recalls 3,500 robotaxis after vehicle enters flooded Texas road

On April 20, 2026, an unoccupied Waymo robotaxi entered a flooded road in San Antonio, Texas, during severe weather. No injuries occurred, but the incident prompted Waymo to issue a voluntary recall of up to 3,791 vehicles due to software that could allow the cars to drive onto flooded roads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published recall documents, and Waymo stated it is implementing additional software safeguards and has restricted operations in extreme weather. The fix is still under development.

Company involved
Waymo
AI system involved
Waymo autonomous driving system

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-R72X6B10 Jul 2025

APT28 uses LLM-powered malware LAMEHUG against Ukraine's security and defence sector

CERT-UA reports that the threat group UAC-0001 (APT28) distributed phishing emails to Ukrainian executive bodies, impersonating a ministry representative. The emails contained a malicious attachment that deployed LAMEHUG, a Python-based tool which uses the Qwen 2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct large language model via Hugging Face to generate commands for data collection and exfiltration. The malware gathered system information and searched for Microsoft Office, TXT and PDF documents in common user directories, exfiltrating them via SFTP or HTTP POST requests.

Company involved
UAC-0001 (APT28)
AI system involved
LAMEHUG

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-FSUUWV6 Apr 2018

Durham Police uses Experian Mosaic data in HART AI risk tool

Durham Constabulary developed the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART), a machine learning algorithm that assesses the recidivism risk of offenders. The tool uses 34 data categories including criminal history, age, gender and two types of postcode, one sourced from Experian's Mosaic marketing segmentation system. Big Brother Watch alleges that using such commercial consumer behaviour data to inform custody decisions risks prejudice and disproportionate targeting of deprived neighbourhoods. The force has stated it is refreshing the model with an aim to remove one of the postcode predictors.

Company involved
Durham Constabulary
AI system involved
Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART)

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-O7NVTN25 Dec 2025

Mag 7 Ltd. et al. v. Tederi et al. (District Court, Tel Aviv-Yafo): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Monetary Sanction;…

The AI generated fabricated case law that was submitted to the court, affecting the legal proceedings.

1 source article · read the reporting →

Hikvision sells Uyghur recognition system to Chinese authorities

Hikvision, a Chinese surveillance company, sold a facial recognition system powered by NVIDIA to authorities in the People's Republic of China. The system is designed to identify Uyghur individuals, enabling ethnic profiling and surveillance. The article reports that the system was marketed as a tool for public security and was deployed without transparency or accountability. No specific incident of harm is described, but the potential for widespread discrimination and human rights abuses is highlighted.

Company involved
Hikvision
AI system involved
Uyghur recognition system

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Shenzhen traffic police to use AI surveillance to punish jaywalkers via text messages

The Shenzhen Traffic Police in China are implementing an AI-powered surveillance system to detect jaywalkers and automatically send them text message fines or warnings. The system uses cameras and facial recognition to identify individuals crossing roads illegally. The police claim this will improve enforcement efficiency, but critics raise concerns about privacy and the potential for errors in identification.

Company involved
Shenzhen Traffic Police

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-UJYS3M1 Jun 2025

Hellobike self-driving car injures two pedestrians in Zhuzhou

In June 2025, a Hellobike autonomous taxi in Zhuzhou, Hunan, veered off course and struck two pedestrians crossing the road, causing serious injuries. The company suspended its autonomous driving operations in Zhuzhou and Liyang following the crash. Reports suggest the vehicle may have lacked sufficient underside sensors, leading to detection failures. The incident is believed to be the first publicly known injury-causing crash involving a robotaxi in China.

Company involved
哈啰
AI system involved
哈啰自动驾驶 Robotaxi

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Hangzhou No. 11 Middle School installs facial recognition system to monitor students

Hangzhou No. 11 Middle School has deployed a smart classroom behaviour management system, developed with Hikvision, that uses facial recognition to take attendance and analyse students' expressions and behaviour. The system alerts teachers when students appear inattentive. The school says it records only behavioural state information, not video, and that it will be installed in all classes. Some people have raised privacy concerns.

Company involved
杭州第十一中学
AI system involved
智慧课堂行为管理系统

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-XQL7UV26 Feb 2026

Lake Zurich High School students used AI to generate explicit images of female classmates

In February 2026, students at Lake Zurich High School used artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit images of female classmates without their consent. The school district acknowledged the incident and notified police, who are investigating. More than 40 girls from fifth grade to high school were reportedly affected. The school provided support and issued disciplinary consequences, while the police investigation continues.

Company involved
Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-FLO12O28 Jul 2025

Pelishek v. City of Sheboygan (E.D. Wisconsin): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Monetary Sanction

The AI system generated false legal citations that were included in a court filing, misleading the court and opposing counsel.

Company involved
John A. Pelishek
AI system involved
Westlaw Quick Check and AI Case Search Tool

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-WNUEBH25 May 2020

Hangzhou plans permanent health codes with scoring, sparking privacy backlash

Hangzhou health authorities announced plans to launch a permanent health-tracking QR code system that would assign residents a color and numerical score based on medical records and lifestyle choices. The proposal, an expansion of the existing COVID-19 health code system, has sparked online backlash over privacy concerns and fears of discrimination. Critics argue that the system could lead to public exposure of personal health data and potential misuse by employers. The authorities aim to complete the project by May or June 2020.

Company involved
Hangzhou Health Authorities
AI system involved
Health Code

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-G0G50416 Feb 2023

Hangzhou police investigate ChatGPT-written fake notice cancelling traffic restrictions

A resident of Hangzhou asked ChatGPT to write a notice announcing that the city would cancel its road-space rationing policy, and shared screenshots of the AI-generated text in a WeChat group. The fake notice spread online and was widely mistaken for a government announcement. Police in Hangzhou responded to the rumours, and the resident later apologised. Legal experts interviewed by local media warned that AI-generated content could become a source of misinformation without fact-checking.

AI system involved
ChatGPT

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-9PEI6Z29 Aug 2019

Zao deepfake app sparks privacy and fraud fears in China

The Zao face-swapping app, developed by Momo, sparked privacy and fraud fears after its launch in China on 29 August 2019. The app's terms and conditions initially gave the developer permanent rights to use users' images, which experts said broke Chinese law. Momo subsequently apologized and deleted the controversial clause. Alipay assured users that deepfakes could not bypass its facial recognition payment system.

Company involved
Momo
AI system involved
Zao

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-N16FBJ1 Oct 2022

Israeli military uses Smash Hopper turret against Palestinian protesters

The Israeli military deployed Smash Hopper remote-controlled gun turrets in the West Bank. The turrets fire stun grenades, less-than-lethal bullets, and tear gas at Palestinian protesters without warning. The systems were observed at Al-Aroub refugee camp and Hebron in October 2022. The Smash Hopper is produced by Smart Shooter.

Company involved
Israeli military
AI system involved
Smash Hopper

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-EEPCVN25 Jul 2021

UAE cloud seeding drones cause Dubai rainstorms

The UAE government used cloud seeding drones to generate rainstorms in Dubai during a heatwave. The drones, developed with UK researchers, delivered electrical shocks to clouds to encourage precipitation. The resulting downpour was acknowledged by authorities as a deliberate weather modification effort.

Company involved
United Arab Emirates government
AI system involved
Cloud seeding drones

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-OUDOEJ14 Sep 2026

Henry v. Long Island University (E.D. New York): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Two-year filing-disclosure sanction

The court granted a motion to dismiss and imposed sanctions on plaintiff's counsel for submitting a brief with AI-hallucinated fake cases.

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-SEHSOW1 Aug 2023

China uses AI-generated images to spread disinformation about Hawaii wildfires

China conducted a disinformation campaign about the August 2023 Hawaii wildfires, using AI-generated images to bolster false claims that the fires were caused by a US 'weather weapon'. The campaign was identified by researchers from Microsoft, Recorded Future, and other organizations. The impact was difficult to measure, but early indications suggest limited engagement.

Company involved
China (state actors)

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-XHWUDY14 Jun 2022

Zhengzhou officials punished for red health codes on depositors

Five officials in Zhengzhou were punished for ordering red health codes to be assigned to 1,317 depositors of four village banks, restricting their movement and preventing them from withdrawing savings. The officials acted without authorization, and the codes were later turned green after media coverage. Legal experts say the liability for privacy invasion remains unresolved, and the banks may face breach of contract claims.

Company involved
Zhengzhou municipal government
AI system involved
Health code system

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-PS9FKF1 Dec 2020

Houston's ShotSpotter system delays police response and over-polices minority communities

Houston Police Department deployed ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, in Southeast and Northwest Houston starting in late 2020. The system alerts police to suspected gunfire, but over 80% of alerts are unfounded. This has led to longer response times for other calls and increased police presence in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods, causing anxiety and concerns of over-policing. Critics argue the technology has not reduced gun violence and diverts resources from more effective strategies.

Company involved
Houston Police Department
AI system involved
ShotSpotter

7 source articles · read the reporting →

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