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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116 incidents closest to “Mark43 OnScene” · matched on meaning · public reporting

Ghost Robotics attaches sniper rifle to robot dog

Ghost Robotics, a military robot maker, shared an image of a quadrupedal robot dog with a sniper rifle attached. The robot, called the Vision-60, is equipped with the Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle (SPUR) by Sword International. The level of autonomy is unknown, and the system is designed for precision fire on unmanned platforms. The development has raised concerns about autonomous weapons.

Company involved
Ghost Robotics
AI system involved
Vision-60 with SPUR

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-QW10HJ9 Aug 2021

St. Louis police arrest man after facial recognition match without corroboration

Christopher Gatlin was arrested and jailed for an assault on a security guard after police used facial recognition software to identify him from a blurry surveillance image. The lead detective built a case against Gatlin despite the city's policy that AI results are nonscientific and should not be the sole basis for a decision. A witness was steered by officers to select Gatlin from a photo lineup, and the case was later dismissed after more than two years. Gatlin alleges wrongful arrest and has filed a lawsuit.

Company involved
St. Louis County Police Department
AI system involved
Unnamed facial recognition program

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-OK04L58 Jan 2025

OpenAI cuts off engineer who created ChatGPT-powered robotic sentry rifle

An engineer known as STS 3D created a robotic sentry rifle that uses OpenAI's Realtime API to aim and fire a rifle in response to voice commands. OpenAI stated that it proactively identified the violation of its policies prohibiting the use of its services for weapons and notified the developer to cease the activity. The demonstration involved shooting blanks and no actual harm occurred.

AI system involved
ChatGPT-powered robotic sentry rifle

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-1XANCK10 Nov 2023

Meta's automated system mistakenly removes Al-Shifa hospital video

Meta's automated content moderation system removed an Instagram video showing the aftermath of a strike on Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, citing its Violent and Graphic Content policy. The user appealed to the Oversight Board, which found that the removal was incorrect. Meta subsequently restored the content with a warning screen.

Company involved
Meta
AI system involved
Graphic and Violent Content classifier

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 →

WF-YNC84Z9 Jul 2019

Facial recognition system falsely detains woman in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

A facial recognition system deployed by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro in Copacabana falsely identified a local resident as a wanted fugitive. The system flagged the woman with a 70% probability match, leading police to detain her for over an hour before realising the error. The police spokesperson acknowledged the system's statistical error rate and stated that officers attempt to verify identities on site. The incident is one of several false positives reported with the system.

Company involved
Polícia Militar do Rio de Janeiro

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Chicago class action challenges ShotSpotter's discriminatory stop-and-frisk deployments

ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system used by the Chicago Police Department, generates alerts that lead to police deployments and stop-and-frisk stops. Analyses show over 90% of alerts are unfounded, and the system is deployed only in predominantly Black and Latinx districts. A class-action lawsuit against the City of Chicago alleges the system fuels unconstitutional and discriminatory policing, including false accusations against individuals like Michael Williams.

Company involved
City of Chicago
AI system involved
ShotSpotter

7 source articles · read the reporting →

Queensland police trial AI to predict domestic violence risk

The Queensland Police Service is trialling an AI risk-assessment tool to identify high-risk domestic violence offenders from police records. Police then pre-emptively door-knock these individuals to deter violence. The author raises concerns about potential negative impacts, but police report a 56% reduction in incidents. The AI was developed in-house to increase transparency.

Company involved
Queensland Police Service

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-Y2FJD79 Jun 2023

Cruise robotaxi appears to hinder emergency crews after San Francisco mass shooting

A Cruise autonomous vehicle appeared to block emergency crews responding to a mass shooting in San Francisco's Mission District on 9 June 2023. A police officer in video footage says the robotaxi was blocking emergency medical and fire vehicles. Cruise denied obstructing access and said an employee moved the vehicle within half an hour. San Francisco police said they were investigating.

Company involved
Cruise

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-0YQPL21 Jan 2019

iBorderCtrl lie detector falsely flagged honest reporter as liar

A journalist testing Europe's iBorderCtrl virtual policeman at the Serbian-Hungarian border gave honest answers but was deemed a liar by the system, scoring 48 out of 100 with four false answers flagged. The Hungarian policeman said the result suggested further checks, though none were carried out. The reporter only learned of the result after filing a data access request under European privacy laws. Experts and transparency activists have criticised the technology as pseudoscientific and potentially discriminatory.

Company involved
iBorderCtrl consortium
AI system involved
Silent Talker / iBorderCtrl virtual policeman

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-S94FL425 Apr 2019

Sri Lankan government falsely identified Amara Majeed as Easter bombing suspect due to facial recognition error

Amara Majeed testified to the Maryland General Assembly that Sri Lankan authorities falsely identified her as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings after an error in facial recognition technology. The government broadcast her photo and name, leading to threats and harassment before retracting the identification. She urged the assembly to pass SB857 imposing a moratorium on facial recognition technology.

Company involved
Sri Lankan government

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Evolv weapon detection system falsely flags Chromebooks as weapons

Evolv's AI-based weapon detection system has been reported to falsely identify certain Chromebook laptops as weapons, causing false alarms at security checkpoints. The system is used in venues such as schools. The article discusses the flaw and user experiences. No official response from Evolv has been mentioned.

Company involved
Evolv
AI system involved
Evolv

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Manchester Arena's Evolv weapon scanners fail to detect some knives, report finds

ASM Global's use of Evolv Express AI weapon scanners at Manchester Arena has been questioned after a private report found the system failed to detect large knives in 42% of walkthroughs. The report, produced by NCS4 and obtained by IPVM, also suggested the scanners may miss some bombs and components. Evolv did not dispute the findings but said it communicates capabilities and limitations to customers. ASM Global declined to comment on security matters.

Company involved
ASM Global
AI system involved
Evolv Express

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CE1MQ47 Jul 2016

Dallas police used robot to kill gunman after standoff

In July 2016, the Dallas Police Department used a remote-controlled bomb disposal robot to deliver an explosive device to kill Micah Xavier Johnson, a gunman who had killed five police officers and was barricaded in a parking garage. Police Chief David Brown stated that the tactic was used as a last resort to avoid exposing officers to further danger. The incident raised ethical questions about the use of robots for lethal force by law enforcement.

Company involved
Dallas Police Department

8 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-YRTKS826 Sep 2023

Mistral releases unmoderated chatbot that gives instructions on murder and ethnic cleansing

Mistral, a French AI startup valued at $260 million, released an open-source large language model named Mistral-7B-v0.1 without safety evaluations or moderation mechanisms. The model readily provides detailed instructions on murder, ethnic cleansing, suicide, and other harmful content. Mistral added a statement after the release acknowledging the lack of moderation but did not remove the model, which is distributed via torrent and cannot be deleted.

Company involved
Mistral
AI system involved
Mistral-7B-v0.1

7 source articles · read the reporting →

Driver relying on "smart driving" on highway crashes after system suddenly disengages near truck

司机依赖“智驾 ”跑高速,逼近大货车时“智驾”突然退出引发车祸 - 手机新浪网

A driver was using a smart driving system on an expressway. As the vehicle approached a large truck, the system unexpectedly disengaged, leading to a crash.

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-8UTONQ22 Dec 2019

Delhi Police use facial recognition to screen PM Modi rally attendees

Delhi Police used an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) to screen crowds at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally on December 22, 2019. The system, originally installed to find missing children, was used to identify possible disruptions. Privacy advocates called the move illegal and unconstitutional, saying it amounts to mass surveillance. Police defended the use, citing credible intelligence about possible disruptions.

Company involved
Delhi Police
AI system involved
Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS)

6 source articles · read the reporting →

42,900 OpenClaw AI agents exposed, 15,200 vulnerable to RCE

SecurityScorecard's STRIKE team revealed on February 9, 2026, that approximately 42,900 OpenClaw agentic AI instances are exposed on the internet due to insecure default configurations. Of these, 15,200 are vulnerable to remote code execution attacks, allowing hackers to take over host machines. The vulnerabilities were patched on January 29, 2026, but many instances remain unpatched.

AI system involved
OpenClaw

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-3DGXLF1 Oct 2024

AI deepfakes of Hurricane Helene victim go viral, FEMA debunks

After Hurricane Helene, AI-generated images of a child in a boat with a dog spread online, falsely portraying a victim. The images contained obvious flaws, such as an extra finger, and were shared by a US senator before being deleted. FEMA established a rumour response page to counter misinformation and warned of scams exploiting the disaster.

8 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-MJJJVQ1 Jan 2023

Durham's ShotSpotter fails to detect two deadly shootings

ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system piloted by the Durham Police Department, failed to detect two fatal shootings in February 2023, as well as a New Year's Day shooting that injured five. The system, which uses sensors and human review to alert police, did not send alerts for these incidents within its three-square-mile coverage area. The company stated it investigated and provided a report to the police, while a city official defended the pilot, noting it is still early in the year-long trial. Community concerns have been raised about increased police presence and potential racial profiling.

Company involved
Durham Police Department
AI system involved
ShotSpotter

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Character.AI Hosts User-Created George Floyd Chatbots

Character.AI, a platform for creating AI chatbots, was found to host two user-created chatbots impersonating George Floyd, a Black man murdered by police in 2020. The chatbots, which had thousands of interactions, made disturbing claims including that Floyd was in witness protection or heaven. After being contacted, Character.AI stated the characters were flagged for removal and that it moderates content proactively and in response to reports.

Company involved
Character.AI
AI system involved
Character.AI

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Bahia Facial Recognition System Misidentifies Black Man as Wanted Criminal

Davi, a black administrative assistant, was tracked across 15 metro stations and approached by police after Bahia's facial recognition system falsely matched him to a wanted person. He was released after officers verified his identity. The system, supplied by Iecisa and Huawei, has a low accuracy rate and disproportionately affects black people. The government plans to expand it despite concerns over racial bias and errors.

Company involved
Secretaria de Segurança Pública da Bahia

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Pasco Sheriff's Office used algorithm to target potential future criminals and schoolchildren

The Pasco Sheriff's Office operates an intelligence-led policing programme that uses an algorithm to identify people who might break the law based on criminal histories and social networks. Deputies are sent to the homes of those flagged, even without evidence of a crime, and former deputies allege they were ordered to make targets' lives miserable. The agency also keeps a list of more than 400 schoolchildren predicted to 'fall into a life of crime', built from data such as grades and child welfare records, without informing the children or their parents. Civil liberties groups are considering lawsuits and public advocacy campaigns, and experts have called the programmes 'morally repugnant'.

Company involved
Pasco Sheriff's Office

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-MPMLNY1 Aug 2024

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office facial recognition leads to wrongful arrest of Florida man

Robert Dillon, a commercial crabber in Lee County, Florida, was arrested after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office used facial recognition to match restaurant surveillance photos to him, leading to a warrant for luring or enticing a child. Dillon said he had never been to Jacksonville Beach and pointed to visible differences between himself and the suspect. His defence attorney argued the investigation relied too heavily on the AI match, and the state attorney’s office dropped the case after further investigation. Dillon is now seeking a civil attorney to pursue legal action over the wrongful arrest.

Company involved
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

2 source articles · read the reporting →

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