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.
Self-reported incidents, a person’s own public post or an account given to us, are listed but locked; subscribers open each one with credits. Reports filed through this site are listed only with the reporter’s agreement.
Press reportingSelf-reported: a person’s own public post · 10 creditsSelf-reported: told to us directly · 25 credits
Twitter users noticed that the cover of Sarah J. Maas's 'House of Earth and Blood', published by Bloomsbury, features an AI-generated image from Adobe Stock. The publisher is accused of using AI to avoid paying a human illustrator. Bloomsbury has not yet responded to the controversy.
An AI-generated deepfake audio recording was circulated on social media two days before the Slovak parliamentary elections. The audio purportedly captured a conversation between Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka and journalist Monika Tódová discussing election manipulation. Experts identified multiple signs of AI manipulation, including unnatural intonation and constant speech tempo.
Tor, a science fiction and fantasy publisher, used AI-generated art for the cover of Christopher Paolini's upcoming novel 'Fractal Noise'. The artwork was licensed from a stock art site but was later identified as AI-generated. After widespread criticism on social media, Tor issued an apology on Twitter but stated it would proceed with the cover. The incident is accused of devaluing the work of human artists.
AI-generated mushroom foraging books are being sold on Amazon without disclosure. Experts warn that these books contain inaccurate information that could lead to poisoning or death. Amazon removed some of the books after being contacted by 404 Media.
BBC journalists found over 50 YouTube channels using generative AI to create false scientific videos disguised as educational content. YouTube's recommendation algorithm suggested these videos to children alongside legitimate content. Children who watched the videos believed the false information, such as alien conspiracies and electric pyramids. YouTube said it was committed to removing misinformation but did not comment on advertising revenue from the misleading videos.
Disney is accused of using AI-generated imagery in promotional materials for the second season of the Disney+ series Loki. An illustrator on X flagged the image, pointing out telltale signs of AI generation in the background. The article states that the image appears to be based on a Shutterstock stock photo, and that Disney did not respond to the allegations. The use of AI is alleged to harm artists and photographers who rely on licensing income.
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.
Amazon is accused of using a secret algorithm called Project Nessie to inflate prices on its platform. The algorithm monitored competitors' prices and raised its own, then reverted if rivals didn't follow. The practice was revealed through an FTC lawsuit. Amazon says it scrapped the program in 2019 and denies wrongdoing.
A deepfake video of MrBeast was used in a scam ad on TikTok. The ad falsely promised free iPhones to trick users. MrBeast publicly warned about the scam, questioning whether social media platforms are ready for AI deepfakes.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a preliminary enforcement notice to Snap, the owner of Snapchat, over its AI chatbot My AI. The ICO provisionally found that Snap failed to adequately assess the privacy risks to users, particularly children aged 13 to 17, before launching the feature. Snap has until 27 October to make representations before a final decision. If enforced, Snap could face a fine of up to 4% of global turnover or £17.5 million, and may be required to stop processing data for My AI in the UK.
The Federal Trade Commission charged Ring, a home security camera company, with compromising customer privacy by allowing employees to access private videos and failing to prevent hackers from taking control of cameras. Hackers accessed approximately 55,000 U.S. customers' accounts, harassing individuals including children and the elderly. The proposed order requires Ring to pay $5.8 million in refunds and implement security measures.
Illustrators accused Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle platform, of using their artwork without permission to train its AI image generator, Trik AI. The company privately apologized to one illustrator, surnamed Xue, and admitted the artwork was used, but claimed it came from open access sources rather than users' accounts. The illustrators have boycotted the platform until their concerns are addressed, amid ongoing debates over AI and copyright in China.
At a Taylor Swift concert at the Rose Bowl on May 18, 2018, a kiosk displaying rehearsal clips contained a hidden facial recognition camera that photographed fans. The images were sent to a command post and cross-referenced with a database of known stalkers. Fans were unaware of the surveillance, raising privacy concerns. Swift's representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Buzzfeed published an article featuring AI-generated images of Barbies from 195 countries, created using Midjourney. The images were criticized for racial stereotypes, cultural inaccuracies, and whitewashing, including depicting Asian Barbies with blonde hair and Middle Eastern Barbies with male headdresses. Buzzfeed deleted the article after social media backlash and included a disclaimer acknowledging biases in AI models.
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.
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.
Indian actor Anil Kapoor filed a suit in the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights against unauthorized use by AI, including deepfakes and morphed content. The court granted an order on September 20, 2023, restraining offenders from misusing his name, image, voice, and other attributes. Kapoor expressed support for Hollywood actors striking over AI issues.
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.
Hong Kong police arrested six people in a crackdown on a fraud syndicate that used AI deepfake technology to create doctored images for loan scams targeting banks and money-lenders. The case marks the first known instance of scammers using deepfake to fleece financial agencies. The police reminded the public to be aware of signs of deepfakes in video calls.
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.
In Almendralejo, Spain, AI-generated naked images of underage girls were created using an app that processed clothed photos from social media. The images were circulated via WhatsApp and Telegram without the girls' consent. More than 20 girls aged 11-17 have come forward as victims. Police are investigating and at least 11 local boys have been identified as involved in creating or sharing the images.
Amazon's Alexa voice assistant provided racist descriptions when asked about African-American girls and boys. Researchers reported that the device said African-American girls are the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice system and that African-American boys are struggling readers. The article notes that such responses can harm children's confidence and highlights ongoing issues of racial bias in AI systems.
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.
On July 26, a Tesla Model Y SUV struck and killed a 52-year-old man who was changing a flat tire on the shoulder of the Long Island Expressway in Queens, New York. The crash is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) due to the possible use of Tesla's partially automated driving system, Autopilot. The driver remained at the scene. NHTSA has added this fatality to its list of crashes involving automated driving systems.
Each incident is written from the reporting or the account it cites. A report is an allegation, not a finding.
