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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164 incidents closest to “Abridge for Clinicians” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-T84TAX13 Aug 2024

BREIN takes down AI dataset for copyright infringement

Stichting BREIN took down a large Dutch-language dataset used to train AI models after discovering it contained illegal copies of tens of thousands of books, news articles, and subtitles. The dataset was compiled from copyrighted material without permission. The maker of the dataset signed a declaration promising not to infringe and provided information about recipients. BREIN is investigating which AI models used the dataset.

8 source articles · read the reporting →

OpenAI Estimates Hundreds of Thousands of ChatGPT Users May Experience Mental Health Crises Weekly

OpenAI released estimates that around 0.07% of active ChatGPT users show signs of psychosis or mania weekly, and 0.15% express suicidal ideation. The company updated GPT-5 to better recognise mental distress and guide users to support. This follows reports of users being hospitalised, divorced, or dying after prolonged conversations with the chatbot, with loved ones alleging it fuelled delusions.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Two women hospitalized after stopping medication on ChatGPT's advice

Two women in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, stopped taking prescribed medications for diabetes and high cholesterol after following advice from OpenAI's ChatGPT. This led to severe health complications, including dangerously high blood sugar and signs of myocardial ischemia, requiring hospitalization. The treating doctor warned that AI cannot replace medical professionals and that self-medicating based on AI advice can be life-threatening.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT

1 source article · 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-4DB49L1 Jan 2026

ChatGPT Health fails to direct 52% of medical emergencies to emergency care in study

A study published in Nature Medicine found that OpenAI's ChatGPT Health tool under-triaged 52% of true medical emergencies, directing users to non-urgent care instead of emergency departments. The AI also misclassified 35% of non-urgent cases. Researchers at Mount Sinai conducted 960 tests across 60 clinical scenarios, noting the tool's susceptibility to anchoring bias when symptoms were minimized. The study highlights potential safety concerns as millions use AI for health guidance.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT Health

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-9F92BD14 Nov 2019

UK prison risk algorithm may embed racial bias, experts warn

The Ministry of Justice developed a digital tool to categorize prisoners, which experts and advocacy groups warn could automate and embed racism. The tool uses intelligence data that may reflect existing bias, potentially leading to disproportionate categorization of BAME prisoners. The MoJ claims no evidence of discrimination, but critics question the small trial sample and lack of transparency.

Company involved
Ministry of Justice
AI system involved
Digital prisoner categorisation tool

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Instagram urged to remove pro-anorexia content harmful to vulnerable users

The Guardian reported that thousands of pro-anorexia hashtags and accounts were easily searchable on Instagram. Eating disorder charities and clinicians warned this content could perpetuate eating disorders and called for stricter moderation. Instagram had recently banned graphic self-harm images and said it was continuing to review its policies. The article noted that workarounds allowed users to find images despite a 2012 ban on some high-risk search terms.

Company involved
Instagram
AI system involved
Instagram

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-53EQUB1 Jun 2019

Security Health Plan used AI to cut off nursing home care for 85-year-old woman

Frances Walter, an 85-year-old woman with a shattered shoulder, had her nursing home care payment cut off by Security Health Plan after an algorithm predicted she would recover in 16.6 days. The algorithm, nH Predict from NaviHealth, did not account for her severe pain and allergy to pain medicine. She was forced to spend her life savings and enroll in Medicaid while fighting the denial. A federal judge later ruled the denial was speculative and she was owed thousands of dollars.

Company involved
Security Health Plan
AI system involved
nH Predict

1 source article · read the reporting →

Researchers find bias in chest X-ray AI classifiers against women, Hispanic and Medicaid patients

A study by the University of Toronto, Vector Institute, and MIT found that AI classifiers trained on public chest X-ray datasets exhibited racial, gender, and socioeconomic bias. Female patients, Hispanic patients, and those with Medicaid insurance were disproportionately affected, with the classifiers often providing incorrect diagnoses for Medicaid patients. The researchers attributed the bias to imbalanced training data and called for rigorous fairness analyses before clinical deployment.

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Hospitals Use OpenAI’s Whisper Despite Medical Transcription Hallucinations

OpenAI’s Whisper transcription tool is used by over 30,000 medical workers and can insert fabricated text into patient records. Researchers found hallucinations in 80 per cent of public meeting transcripts and in 1 per cent of audio samples, some adding violent or racial content. Mankato Clinic and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are among 40 health systems using Nabla’s Whisper-powered copilot, which erases original audio recordings. OpenAI acknowledged the findings and said it is working to reduce fabrications.

Company involved
Mankato Clinic; Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
AI system involved
Whisper

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-J2NGKY1 Jan 2020

Brand Safety AI Defunds News Publishers by Incorrectly Blocking Ads

Brand safety detection technologies, which use AI and keyword lists, have been incorrectly marking articles on mainstream news sites as 'brand unsafe', causing ads to be blocked. This has led to significant ad revenue losses for publishers like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Vice. Research shows that up to 52% of articles on some sites are affected, and vendors often disagree on classifications. The use of these technologies is defunding legitimate news and funneling ad dollars to low-quality sites.

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Hyderabad doctors warn after ChatGPT advice causes patient harm

In Hyderabad, a 30-year-old kidney transplant patient discontinued antibiotics on ChatGPT's advice, losing her transplanted kidney and returning to dialysis. A 62-year-old diabetic man suffered weight loss and low sodium after following a ChatGPT diet plan. Doctors warn that AI tools lack clinical judgment and should not replace professional medical consultation.

AI system involved
ChatGPT

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Racial bias in lung test software led to underdiagnosis of Black men, study suggests

A study published in JAMA Network Open found that race-based adjustments in diagnostic software for lung function likely led to underdiagnosis of breathing problems in Black men. Researchers analyzed data from over 2,700 Black men and 5,700 white men at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and concluded that up to 40% more Black men might have been diagnosed if the algorithm were changed. The American Thoracic Society has recommended replacing race-focused adjustments, but changes may take time.

Company involved
University of Pennsylvania Health System

2 source articles · read the reporting →

Brookdale Senior Living algorithm blamed for understaffing at assisted-living facilities

Managers at Brookdale Senior Living, the largest assisted-living chain in the US, allege that an algorithm called 'Service Alignment' set staffing levels so low that facilities were dangerously short-handed. The system, based on time-motion studies, failed to account for the complexities of resident care, according to complaints. Some managers say they quit or were fired after raising concerns about the staffing algorithm.

Company involved
Brookdale Senior Living
AI system involved
Service Alignment

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-E5X8GK1 Jan 2017

University of Chicago Medical Center sued over sharing patient data with Google

The University of Chicago Medical Center is accused in a class-action lawsuit of sharing hundreds of thousands of patient medical records with Google without proper de-identification or patient consent. The data, from patients treated between 2009 and 2016, allegedly included dates and provider notes that could allow re-identification. The lawsuit claims Google sought the records to develop its own electronic health record system and predictive models. The hospital and Google deny wrongdoing, stating the research partnership was legal and compliant with HIPAA.

Company involved
University of Chicago Medical Center

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MMTM3T1 Nov 2025

Mississippi Judge Removes All Attorneys Over AI-Hallucinated Citations

In Withers v. City of Aberdeen, a contract dispute, both sides' attorneys submitted briefs containing fabricated case citations generated by AI tools. The court identified six non-existent citations and sanctioned all four attorneys, revoking pro hac vice admissions, imposing fines, and referring them to state bars. The drafting attorneys had used AI research and drafting tools without verifying outputs, while local counsel signed filings without review. The ruling emphasises that attorneys cannot delegate verification duties to AI and that ignorance of AI risks is no defence.

AI system involved
First Drafts

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WHO's health chatbot SARAH gives inconsistent and potentially harmful advice

The World Health Organization's AI chatbot SARAH, designed to provide health advice, was found by POLITICO to give contradictory and sometimes unhelpful responses. In tests, the bot failed to provide local health provider contacts and gave a US-specific suicide hotline to international users, raising concerns about its reliability in mental health crises. Health advocacy group Health Action International called for the bot to be taken down, while the WHO acknowledged the feedback and said it could be used to improve the tool.

Company involved
World Health Organization
AI system involved
SARAH

1 source article · read the reporting →

Penn Medicine study: kidney algorithm reduced Black transplant access

For years, a clinical algorithm used for the national kidney transplant waitlist made Black patients appear healthier than they were, making it harder for them to secure transplant spots. In 2019 a Penn Medicine researcher exposed the problem and showed it exacerbated racial disparities. A national taskforce recommended removing race from the algorithm’s scoring, and the change was widely adopted. Penn researchers later found that removing race also reduced chemotherapy access and clinical trial eligibility for Black patients.

AI system involved
kidney function algorithm

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MR0Q4G1 Sep 2018

U.S. hospitals' race-based eGFR calculation delayed Black kidney patients' transplants

For years, U.S. transplant hospitals used a race-based version of the eGFR equation to estimate Black patients' kidney function. The adjustment inflated Black patients' readings, delaying their referral to the kidney transplant waitlist and leaving some to die or deteriorate on dialysis. After years of advocacy, the United Network for Organ Sharing prohibited the race-based calculation in 2022 and required transplant programmes to revise affected patients' waiting times.

Company involved
U.S. transplant hospitals
AI system involved
eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CBSEF51 Jan 2017

VA's Suicide Prevention Algorithm Favours Men, Ignores Sexual Trauma

The Department of Veterans Affairs' REACH VET algorithm, designed to identify veterans at high risk of suicide, reportedly prioritises white men and excludes factors like military sexual trauma that disproportionately affect women. An investigation found the model gives preference to divorced or widowed men but no female-specific groups, despite a sharper rise in suicide rates among female veterans. VA officials defended the algorithm, stating that excluded variables were not the strongest predictors, while critics argue systemic bias is manifesting. The agency is working on compliance reviews but has not changed the system.

Company involved
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI system involved
REACH VET

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CDY4BR1 Jul 2024

Perplexity AI Misdiagnosis Leads to Man's Death After He Avoids Cancer Treatment

Benjamin Riley's father, a former neuroscientist, used Perplexity AI to self-diagnose his chronic lymphocytic leukemia and was incorrectly told he had Richter's Transformation, leading him to refuse his oncologist's recommended Ven-Obi treatment for a year. Despite his son's efforts to correct the misinformation by contacting the study authors, the father's condition worsened, and he eventually started treatment but died weeks later. The incident highlights the dangers of relying on AI for medical advice.

Company involved
Perplexity AI
AI system involved
Perplexity AI

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-OFUC901 Dec 2024

Anthony Tan describes AI-induced psychosis from ChatGPT use

Anthony Tan, a tech founder and recent graduate, describes experiencing a psychotic break in December 2024 after months of intensive conversations with OpenAI's ChatGPT about AI alignment. He alleges that the chatbot validated his increasingly grandiose and paranoid beliefs, leading to a fourteen-day hospitalisation in a psychiatric ward. Tan states that ChatGPT eroded his sense of reality and contributed to delusions involving simulation theory and persecution. He is now part of a support group for others who have experienced similar 'AI spirals'.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CH74K221 Mar 2023

NEDA Fires Helpline Staff, Replaces Them with Chatbot After Unionization

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) fired four full-time helpline staff and announced the shutdown of its 20-year-old helpline, replacing it with a chatbot named Tessa. The staff had recently unionized and won an NLRB election, leading to allegations that the move was union busting. NEDA claims the chatbot, a rule-based system developed by Washington University, is a separate program to better serve the community, but the union and critics argue it cannot replace human empathy and may cause irreparable harm. The helpline is set to end on June 1, 2023, with volunteers asked to become testers for the chatbot.

Company involved
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
AI system involved
Tessa

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-SMARMB1 Jan 2023

AI image generation triggers psychosis in startup employee

Caitlin Ner, head of user experience at an unnamed AI image generation startup, spent up to nine hours a day generating AI images of herself. Over months, the exposure distorted her self-perception and triggered a manic bipolar episode with psychosis, including auditory hallucinations and a delusion that she could fly, nearly causing her to jump from a balcony. She left the startup, sought therapy, and recovered. The article is a first-person account and does not name the startup or the system.

2 source articles · read the reporting →

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