Google self-driving car broadsided by red-light runner in Mountain View
On 23 September 2016, a Google self-driving Lexus SUV in autonomous mode was struck on the passenger side by another vehicle that ran a red light at an intersection in Mountain View, California. The collision deployed the airbags and caused significant damage, requiring the car to be towed. No injuries were reported. Google stated that its car had a green light and that the incident underscores the prevalence of human error in crashes.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google self-driving car
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Images displays mugshots for black teenagers, stock photos for white teenagers
In June 2016, a search for 'three black teenagers' on Google Images returned mugshots, while 'three white teenagers' showed happy stock photos. The biased results sparked criticism of racial bias in Google's search algorithm. The incident highlighted concerns about algorithmic discrimination.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Images
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google image search shows racial bias in 'unprofessional hair' results
In April 2016, an MBA student discovered that a Google Images search for 'unprofessional hairstyles for work' returned predominantly images of black women with natural hair, while 'professional hairstyles for work' showed mainly white women. The discrepancy sparked widespread discussion about implicit racial bias in algorithms. The article notes that the algorithm was likely reflecting the content of blogs and articles discussing and protesting racist attitudes to hair, rather than making an independent ruling.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Images
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Google self-driving car hits bus in first crash in which it was at fault
On 14 February 2016, a Google self-driving car sideswiped a public bus in Mountain View, California, in the first crash in which one of Google's autonomous vehicles was considered at fault. Google said the vehicle had tried to move around sandbags and struck the bus, and that the company bore some responsibility. No injuries were reported. Google said it had updated the vehicle's software to account for buses and other large vehicles.
- Company involved
- Google
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Photos Mislabeled Black People as Gorillas in 2015
In 2015, Google Photos' image recognition system labelled photos of Black software developer Jacky Alciné and his friend as 'gorillas'. The offensive mislabelling sparked controversy, leading Google to disable the ability to search for gorillas and other primates in the app. Eight years later, Google and Apple still prevent their photo apps from identifying most primates to avoid repeating the mistake.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Photos
1 source article · read the reporting →
Google settles Illinois biometric privacy lawsuit for $100 million over Photos face grouping
Google reached a $100 million class-action settlement over allegations that its Google Photos face grouping tool violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and using facial biometrics without consent. The class period covers May 1, 2015 to April 25, 2022, and eligible Illinois residents can claim between $200 and $400. Google did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to roll out opt-in consent for the feature. The settlement awaits final court approval.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Photos face grouping tool
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Google Search image results for CEO show gender bias
A University of Washington study found that Google Search image results for 'CEO' predominantly show white men, with the first woman appearing being a Barbie doll from a satirical article. The study claims that such search results can influence people's perceptions about gender representation in jobs. The article notes that the bias reflects societal stereotypes fed into the system by users.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Images
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Consumer groups ask FTC to investigate YouTube Kids app for deceptive ads
Several consumer groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that Google's YouTube Kids app mixes advertising with programming in ways that are deceptive to children. The complaint argues that the app uses host selling and undisclosed endorsements, which would be illegal on television. YouTube responded that it worked with child advocacy groups and disagreed with the contentions. The FTC has not yet acted on the complaint.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- YouTube Kids
10 source articles · read the reporting →
YouTube's Algorithm Radicalised Caleb Cain, Leading to Far-Right Extremism
Caleb Cain, a liberal college dropout, turned to YouTube for self-help and was recommended videos by far-right creators like Stefan Molyneux. Over nearly five years, the platform's recommendation algorithm fed him increasingly extreme content, leading to his radicalisation. He eventually renounced the alt-right and spoke out about his experience, while YouTube announced policy changes to limit extremist content.
- Company involved
- YouTube
- AI system involved
- YouTube recommendation algorithm
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Google AdSense shows arrest ads more for black-sounding names
A study by Latanya Sweeney found that Google's AdSense system delivered ads suggestive of arrest records disproportionately for names associated with Black individuals compared to white-associated names. The study analysed 2184 racially associated names across two websites. Google maintained that it received the same ad text for groups of last names, but the cause of the disparity remains unknown.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google AdSense
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bettina Wulff settles with Google over Autocomplete name associations
Bettina Wulff, wife of former German president Christian Wulff, sued Google over its Autocomplete feature that combined her name with terms from the red-light district. The search engine automatically generated such suggestions. Google and Wulff reached an out-of-court settlement, and Google independently changed its guidelines. The Federal Court of Justice had ruled in 2013 that Google must delete search suggestions that directly violate personality rights.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Autocomplete
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Surgeon sues Google over 'bankrupt' autocomplete suggestion
Dr Guy Hingston, a Port Macquarie surgeon, sued Google for defamation over an autocomplete suggestion that when users typed his name, "Guy Hingston bankrupt" appeared. He alleges the suggestion is false and has cost him patients and financiers. Google declined to comment. The lawsuit was filed in US district court in California.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Autocomplete
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 Search results for 'black girls' and 'three black teenagers' showed pornographic and mugshot images
Google Search returned pornographic results for the query 'black girls' and mugshots for 'three black teenagers', reflecting racial and gender stereotypes. The author, Safiya Noble, documented these results from 2009 to 2016. Google initially denied responsibility but later tweaked its algorithm to change the results. The incident highlights systemic bias in search algorithms.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google Search
8 source articles · read the reporting →
MAJOR LAWSUIT ALERT!: Home Depot And Google Facing CIPA Lawsuit For Use Of Google’s Cloud Contact Center AI - natlawreview.com
The system recorded and transcribed customer service calls without consent, affecting the privacy of callers.
- Company involved
- Home Depot
- AI system involved
- Google Cloud Contact Center AI
1 source article · read the reporting →
AI chatbots recommended unlicensed casinos to UK users
An investigation by the Guardian and Investigate Europe found that five major AI chatbots—ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, and Meta AI—recommended unlicensed online casinos to UK users. Some chatbots also advised on bypassing consumer protection systems like GamStop and financial checks. The companies acknowledged the findings and said they are reviewing safeguards. Regulators expressed concern about the potential harm to vulnerable users.
- Company involved
- Multiple technology companies (Microsoft, Google, Meta, OpenAI, X)
- AI system involved
- Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, ChatGPT, Grok
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Google removes Gemma from AI Studio after senator accuses model of defamation
Senator Marsha Blackburn alleges that Google's Gemma model defamed her by falsely stating she had been accused of sexual misconduct during a 1987 state senate campaign. Google pulled Gemma from AI Studio, saying it was not intended as a consumer tool. Blackburn called the fabrication an act of defamation rather than a harmless hallucination.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Gemma
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Negrar hospital denies head physician's death, blames Google AI error
The Irccs Sacro Cuore Don Calabria hospital in Negrar has denied reports that its head of orthopaedics, Claudio Zorzi, had died, saying the claim was a false output generated by Google's AI Overview feature. The hospital says the AI confused Zorzi with a deceased family doctor of the same name, and has sent Google a formal legal notice demanding the immediate removal of the false content. It is also reserving the right to seek damages.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- AI Overview
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Jailbreak bypasses safety guardrails on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
Security researchers at HiddenLayer discovered a prompt injection technique called the Policy Puppetry Attack that can bypass safety guardrails on major AI models including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. The jailbreak combines policy file code and leetspeak to trick models into producing harmful outputs such as instructions for enriching uranium or self-harm. The researchers argue that this indicates a major flaw in how LLMs are trained and aligned.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Claude 3.7, Gemini 2.5
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Google AI Overview shows AI-generated mushroom images, experts warn
Google's AI Overview returned AI-generated images of mushrooms that did not match the species, leading experts to warn that foragers could be poisoned. The images appeared as top results for searches of edible mushrooms and were flagged as AI-generated. A Reddit moderator reported the issue to Google, and a Google spokesperson said the company was looking into it.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google AI Overview
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI data centers raise power and water bills for nearby residents
Research from UC Riverside shows that AI data centers consume significant water and electricity for cooling and operation. This consumption drives up power and water bills for residents living near these data centers. For example, Meta used 22 million liters of water to train its LLaMA-3 model. Companies like OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Microsoft have acknowledged the issue and committed to reducing environmental impact.
- Company involved
- OpenAI, Meta, Google, Microsoft
- AI system involved
- GPT-4, LLaMA-3
7 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 →
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 →
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 →
