Uber faces discrimination claim over facial recognition dismissal
Pa Edrissa Manjang, an UberEats driver, was dismissed after Uber's facial recognition system failed to recognize him. He alleges racial discrimination and harassment. Uber attempted to have the claim struck out, but the East London Employment Tribunal refused. Uber later reinstated Manjang, and the case continues.
- Company involved
- Uber
- AI system involved
- Microsoft facial recognition technology
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Study finds Italian car insurers charge more based on birthplace
A study by the Universities of Padua, Udine and Carnegie Mellon found that Italian car insurers, including Genertel, Mps, Quixa and Con.Te, use birthplace and citizenship in pricing algorithms, charging some drivers over €1,000 more. The practice was ruled against in a 2018 decree involving Linear, but the study says it continues. The companies contacted denied or explained the findings.
- Company involved
- Genertel, Mps, Quixa, Con.Te
8 source articles · read the reporting →
LA's VI-SPDAT housing scoring system gives lower priority to Black and Latino people
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority uses the VI-SPDAT scoring system to prioritise unhoused people for subsidised permanent housing. An investigation by The Markup found that Black and Latino people consistently receive lower vulnerability scores than White people, leading to lower priority for housing. The agency has acknowledged the racial disparities and is working on a new tool, but continues to use the current system.
- Company involved
- Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
- AI system involved
- VI-SPDAT
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Aguilar v. The Crawford Group, Inc. (D. Massachusetts): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Adverse Costs Order; Pro hac vice status…
The AI generated fake legal citations that were included in a court filing, misleading the court and opposing counsel.
- Company involved
- Lindemann Law Firm
1 source article · read the reporting →
USPS algorithm RRECS causes pay cuts for two-thirds of rural mail carriers
The United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented a new algorithm, RRECS, to evaluate rural carrier routes and determine pay. Due to flaws in how carriers scanned packages, the algorithm underestimated route times, resulting in pay cuts for 66 per cent of rural carriers, some losing thousands of dollars annually. Carriers report that they were not adequately trained on the system and that the cuts are scheduled to take effect, though they have been postponed multiple times. The USPS stated that the system is the result of a nationally negotiated agreement.
- Company involved
- United States Postal Service
- AI system involved
- RRECS
9 source articles · read the reporting →
University of Chicago report finds US healthcare algorithms rife with bias
A University of Chicago report alleges that algorithms used by hospitals, insurers and other businesses across the US are biased along racial and economic lines. The algorithms help triage patients, predict diabetes and flag those needing extra care, but the report says flawed products were introduced with little oversight. It says inequitable treatment has continued for more than a decade.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Campaigners call for end to Home Office's IPIC 'robo-caseworker' AI tool
Migrants' rights campaigners have called for the UK government to stop using the IPIC (Identify & Prioritise Immigration Cases) AI system, which automatically identifies and recommends migrants for immigration decisions or enforcement action. Privacy International and the Migrants' Rights Network have raised concerns that the system could lead to racial bias and the 'rubberstamping' of algorithmic recommendations by caseworkers. The campaigners argue that people going through the immigration system may not know their information has been processed by an algorithm. The Home Office has not directly responded to the specific concerns, though Science Secretary Peter Kyle has defended the safe development of AI in public services.
- Company involved
- Home Office
- AI system involved
- IPIC (Identify & Prioritise Immigration Cases)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
TOV Realty, LLC v. Suarez; Kosel Equity, LLC v. MacGregor (SC Connecticut): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, 6 hours CLE;…
The AI generated legal briefs containing fabricated citations, which were submitted to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
- Company involved
- GLG Law LLC
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
1 source article · read the reporting →
UnitedHealthcare sued for using AI to deny Medicare Advantage patients care
A class action complaint alleges that UnitedHealthcare and its subsidiary naviHealth deployed an artificial intelligence model to override treating physicians' determinations of medically necessary care for elderly Medicare Advantage patients. The complaint claims the AI model has a known 90% error rate and wrongfully denied patients care. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, seeks damages on behalf of the estates of two deceased patients and all others similarly situated.
- Company involved
- UnitedHealthcare, Inc.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UnitedHealth used ALERT algorithm to limit mental health coverage, regulators found
ProPublica reports that UnitedHealth Group's Optum subsidiary used the ALERT algorithm to flag mental health patients and therapists as outliers, leading to therapy coverage denials. Regulators in California, Massachusetts and New York alleged this breached the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and UnitedHealth agreed to restrict the system in those jurisdictions. The company denies wrongdoing and says its programmes are compliant. Affected patients, including Medicaid enrollees, were left to pay out-of-pocket or go without care.
- Company involved
- UnitedHealth Group
- AI system involved
- ALERT
5 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
Jessica Fuller v. Hyde School, et al. (D. Maine): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, CLE; Firm procedures and certification; Serve…
The AI generated fictitious legal citations that were submitted to the court in a legal filing.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT or Claude
1 source article · read the reporting →
EviCore denied heart catheterization for patient using algorithm
In fall 2021, Little John Cupp's doctor requested a left heart catheterization exam. EviCore, a company hired by UnitedHealthcare, denied the request twice using an algorithm called 'the dial' that adjusts thresholds for review. The algorithm flagged the request for review, and EviCore's doctors determined it was not medically necessary. Cupp did not receive the procedure and his symptoms continued.
- Company involved
- EviCore (a Cigna company)
- AI system involved
- the dial
6 source articles · read the reporting →
IRCC uses AI triage for Temporary Resident Visa applications
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses an AI system called Advanced Analytics to triage Temporary Resident Visa applications from India and China. The system categorizes applications into tiers, with Tier 1 approved automatically and others sent to human officers. Critics allege the system lacks transparency and may introduce bias, leading to visa refusals without clear rationale. The author, a Canadian immigration lawyer, is filing Federal Court cases on behalf of clients affected by refusals.
- Company involved
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
- AI system involved
- Advanced Analytics Triage of Overseas Temporary Resident Visa Applications
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Immigration NZ uses data model to predict likely troublemakers among overstayers
Immigration New Zealand has been piloting a data modelling system that uses demographic information such as age, gender, and ethnicity of overstayers to predict which individuals are likely to commit crime or incur hospital debts. The system then targets those individuals for accelerated deportation. Critics, including immigration lawyers and a lobby group, have likened the programme to 'Minority Report' and allege it amounts to racial profiling. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway only learned of the programme on the day of the article and said he would seek a full briefing, but maintained it is not racial profiling and does not breach the Human Rights Act.
- Company involved
- Immigration New Zealand
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Judge rules lawsuit over UnitedHealth’s AI care denials can move forward - STAT
The system denied necessary medical care to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
- Company involved
- UnitedHealth Group
1 source article · read the reporting →
California EDD's automated fraud detection wrongly suspended 600,000 legitimate unemployment claims
In January 2021, the California Employment Development Department used Thompson Reuters automated batch review software to flag 1.1 million unemployment claims as potentially fraudulent. EDD stopped payments on those claims without prior notice. Later, over 600,000 were confirmed as legitimate after claimants used ID.me to verify their identity. The incident highlights the trade-off between fraud prevention and timely benefit access.
- Company involved
- California Employment Development Department (EDD)
- AI system involved
- Thompson Reuters Automated Batch Review
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Haryana government's algorithm wrongly declares thousands dead, stops pensions
The Haryana state government's Family Identity Data Repository (PPP) algorithm wrongly declared thousands of elderly and widowed citizens as dead, stopping their pensions. Dhuli Chand, a 102-year-old man, had to stage a mock wedding procession to prove he was alive after his pension was cut for six months. The government acknowledged the errors and corrected some records, but many still face difficulties.
- Company involved
- Haryana state government
- AI system involved
- Family Identity Data Repository (Parivar Pehchan Patra or PPP)
6 source articles · read the reporting →
UNOS liver allocation policy reduces transplants in poorer states
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) implemented a new liver allocation policy in 2020 called the acuity circles system, which prioritizes the sickest patients regardless of location. An analysis by The Markup and The Washington Post found that the policy led to sharp declines in liver transplants in several Southern and Midwestern states and Puerto Rico, while increasing transplants in New York and California. Patients in affected states allege the system disadvantages poorer regions, and hospitals have sued to overturn the policy.
- Company involved
- United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
- AI system involved
- Acuity circles liver allocation policy
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Woman denied state welfare card groceries after face scan fails
A grandmother rode her motorcycle several kilometres to a shop in Sapphaya district, Chai Nat province, to use her state welfare card to buy groceries for her family. After selecting items, she failed repeated facial recognition scans because her ID card photo was years old and no longer matched her appearance. She left the shop empty-handed and in tears.
- Company involved
- Government of Thailand (state welfare card system)
2 source articles · read the reporting →
DWP algorithm mistakenly flags 200,000 Housing Benefit claimants for fraud review
The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses an algorithm to flag Housing Benefit claimants for possible fraud or error. According to a Big Brother Watch investigation, the algorithm has mistakenly flagged 200,000 innocent people, subjecting them to intrusive reviews. Only one in three flagged cases actually had errors, compared to two in three during the pilot. The DWP has spent £4.4 million on these pointless checks.
- Company involved
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Starship delivery robots blocked wheelchair users at University of Pittsburgh
In October 2019, Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots blocked wheelchair users on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Doctoral student Emily Ackerman reported that a robot blocked the only accessible sidewalk entrance, trapping her near traffic. Another wheelchair user, Alisa Grishman, had a similar incident earlier that month. The university and Starship paused the robot program for review.
- Company involved
- Starship Technologies
- AI system involved
- Starship delivery robot
4 source articles · read the reporting →
DWP algorithm approved Kickstart gateways with no trading history or based abroad
An FE Week investigation found that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) approved dozens of companies as Kickstart gateways through automated due diligence checks using the Cabinet Office Spotlight Tool, although some had little or no trading history or were based abroad. The DWP said gateways were subject to stringent checks and later said human checks were also used. After the findings were shared with the Treasury and the DWP, the department stopped taking gateway applications and scrapped the requirement for small employers to use gateways from 3 February.
- Company involved
- Department for Work and Pensions
- AI system involved
- Cabinet Office Spotlight Tool
3 source articles · read the reporting →
CBP One app strands migrants in Mexico, aids organised crime, says HRW
The US Customs and Border Protection's CBP One app, which is mandatory for asylum seekers, offers only 1,450 appointments per day while border arrivals average 7,240. Human Rights Watch reports that this digital metering leaves migrants stranded in Mexico, vulnerable to kidnapping and extortion by organised crime groups. The report alleges that the app enriches criminal cartels and that exceptions for imminent threats are often ignored.
- Company involved
- US Customs and Border Protection
- AI system involved
- CBP One
10 source articles · read the reporting →
