Google allowed ads targeting racist search terms, disabled them after inquiry
BuzzFeed News discovered that Google's advertising platform allowed a campaign to target people searching racist phrases, and that Google's keyword tool suggested additional offensive terms. The campaign served 17 ad impressions before Google disabled most of the keywords after being contacted. Google acknowledged the breach of its policies and said it had turned off the suggestions.
- Company involved
- Google
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Italian court rules Google liable for autocomplete defamation
A Milan court found Google guilty of libel after its autocomplete function linked an unnamed businessman's name with the terms 'conman' and 'fraud'. The entrepreneur, who provides educational services in personal finance, complained that these suggestions damaged his public image. Google argued it was not responsible for the algorithmically generated terms, but the court ordered the removal of the offending suggestions. The company expressed disappointment, stating that autocomplete predictions are based on previous users' searches.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Autocomplete
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
Microsoft pulls AI-generated article recommending Ottawa Food Bank to tourists
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.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Search AI falsely claims eggs can be melted
Google's Search AI featured snippet and its experimental SGE provided false information that eggs can be melted. The incorrect answer was sourced from a ChatGPT-generated response on Quora. The error was corrected after public attention, and Google acknowledged the mistake.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Search
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Google search shows AI-generated selfie for Tiananmen Square 'tank man'
Google's search engine displayed an AI-generated selfie as the top result for the query 'tank man', replacing the iconic photograph of the Tiananmen Square protest. The image was taken from a Reddit thread on the r/Midjourney community. After 404 Media contacted Google, the company removed the image from its Knowledge Graph and Knowledge Panels, stating that its policies do not allow inaccurate content on public interest topics.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Search
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google indexed public Bard chat URLs, raising privacy concerns
In September 2023, users discovered that Google Search was indexing URLs of shared conversations with its Bard chatbot, potentially exposing personal information shared in those chats to anyone via search. Google acknowledged the issue and said it was working to block indexing. By September 28, the conversations were no longer showing up in search results, and Google had fixed the problem.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Bard
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated travel guides flood Amazon, deceiving customers
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.
- Company involved
- Amazon
8 source articles · read the reporting →
French interior official used Google AI to refuse visas to two asylum seekers
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.
- Company involved
- French Ministry of Interior
- AI system involved
- Google AI
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Couple sues Google Maps after routing leads to gunpoint attack in South Africa
Jason and Katharine Zoladz allege that Google Maps directed them through the Nyanga neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa, a dangerous area known as 'Hell Run.' They were attacked by armed robbers, leaving Jason with a broken jaw requiring reconstructive surgery. The couple filed a lawsuit in California, claiming Google ignored warnings from officials about the dangerous route. Google has since changed the routing but denies liability.
- Company involved
- Google LLC
- AI system involved
- Google Maps
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Gemini chatbot gives biased response about PM Narendra Modi
Google's Gemini chatbot generated a biased and inappropriate response to a query about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A user on X shared screenshots, and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar flagged the response as violating India's IT rules and criminal code. Google acknowledged the issue and said it had taken steps to address it, but warned that Gemini may not be reliable for current events and political topics.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Gemini
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Google News boosts AI-generated articles that rip off other outlets
Google News is boosting sites that use AI to rapidly churn out content that rips off other outlets, according to a 404 Media investigation. The article describes multiple examples of AI-generated articles appearing in Google News, including a site called Worldtimetodays.com that published a near-identical copy of a Distractify article with errors like 'war of stars fans' instead of 'Star Wars fans.' Google told 404 Media that it does not focus on whether an article was written by an AI or a human, opening the way for more AI-generated content on its platform.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google News
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google used 11,000 novels without permission to train AI
Google researchers fed 11,000 novels, including works by authors Rebecca Forster and Erin McCarthy, into a neural network to improve conversational AI without seeking permission. The Authors Guild condemned the use as a 'blatantly commercial use of expressive authorship'. Google defended the practice as fair use, stating it does not harm authors. The authors expressed frustration at not being informed or compensated.
- Company involved
- Google
10 source articles · read the reporting →
French competition authority fines Google €250 million over Bard content use
The Autorité de la concurrence has fined Google €250 million for breaching commitments on related rights. The authority found that Google's Bard (now Gemini) chatbot used content from press agencies and publishers to train its foundation model and for grounding and display, without informing them or offering an opt-out that did not affect other Google services. Google did not contest the facts and proposed corrective measures.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Bard (now Gemini)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Maps falsely labels German autobahns as closed, causing traffic jams
On May 29, 2025, a glitch in Google Maps falsely displayed stop signs on German autobahns and highways, indicating they were closed. The misinformation caused traffic jams as drivers avoided the routes. Google acknowledged the issue and removed the incorrect closures, but the cause remains unclear, with speculation that AI features may have hallucinated the data.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Maps
5 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 →
Google Search AI suggests drinking urine to pass kidney stones
Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) AI recommended drinking urine to pass kidney stones. A user shared a screenshot on X, which went viral. The advice is medically incorrect and potentially dangerous. Google has not responded to the incident.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Google AI Overviews generate erroneous search summaries
In May 2024, Google launched AI Overviews, a feature in Search that generates AI-powered summaries. Shortly after, users reported odd and erroneous overviews for some queries, including satirical or nonsense results. Google acknowledged the issues in a blog post and stated they made more than a dozen technical improvements to reduce inaccuracies. The company said that less than one in 7 million queries resulted in a content policy violation.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- AI Overviews
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google and Bing surface nonconsensual deepfake porn in top search results
The article reports that Google and Bing search engines display nonconsensual deepfake pornographic images of female celebrities at the top of image search results when searching for women's names combined with "deepfakes" or general terms like "fake nudes". The search engines also return links to tools that advertise the creation of such material. Victims can request removal through forms, but the companies do not proactively search for and delist the content. Legal experts and advocates say the burden is on victims and the companies have the technical ability to do more.
- Company involved
- Google, Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Google Search, Bing Search
9 source articles · read the reporting →
X's Grok exposed hundreds of thousands of user chats in Google
Hundreds of thousands of conversations with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok were indexed by Google Search and made publicly accessible without users' knowledge. The exposure occurred when users pressed a share button that created unique links, but those links were also searchable online. The BBC reported the incident after Forbes initially identified more than 370,000 exposed chats. Experts described the leak as a privacy disaster, and X has not publicly responded.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- Grok
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Maps directed Tahoe travellers onto dangerous roads during snowstorm
During a severe snowstorm in the Lake Tahoe area in December 2021, Google Maps allegedly directed travellers to closed-off and dangerous roads, including a narrow forest road. A professor publicly criticised the routing as a failure that could lead to deaths. Google acknowledged the issue and stated it was working to update routes using information from local authorities.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Maps
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Waltham Cross residents say Google data centre construction has ruined their area
Residents living near Google's £790m data centre under construction in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, say it has generated constant noise, blocked their views and reduced house values, and some believe the work has made them ill. Google said its $1 billion investment would bring compute capacity to the UK and that it was committed to being active members of the community. The construction is expected to be complete next year.
- Company involved
- Google
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Delta uses AI from Fetcherr for domestic ticket pricing
Delta Air Lines is using generative AI from Fetcherr to determine some domestic flight prices, currently covering 3% of its network with plans to reach 20% by end of 2025. Democratic senators expressed concern that the AI could be used for individualized pricing based on personal data, leading to higher fares. Delta denies using personal data in pricing and states it complies with regulations. No actual harm has been reported.
- Company involved
- Delta Air Lines
- AI system involved
- Fetcherr
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Lens AI overviews share misleading information about images
Google Lens's AI overviews provided false and misleading information about images, including miscaptioned videos and AI-generated footage. Full Fact found that the overviews repeated debunked claims and failed to identify inauthentic content. Google acknowledged the errors and said they were caused by problems with visual search results.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Lens AI overviews
2 source articles · read the reporting →
