Coco and Serve robots smash two Chicago bus shelters
Two self-driving food delivery robots operated by Coco and Serve Robotics crashed into Chicago bus shelters within a week. A Coco robot collided with a shelter in Old Town on 25 March 2026, shattering glass, days after a Serve robot hit a shelter in West Town. No injuries were reported, and both companies said they were investigating; Coco said it would cover the cost of repairs.
- Company involved
- Coco and Serve Robotics
- AI system involved
- Coco delivery robot and Serve Robotics delivery robot
1 source article · read the reporting →
Alibaba Cloud tested ethnicity detection algorithm, drawing criticism
Alibaba Cloud developed and tested a facial recognition algorithm that could identify a person's ethnicity or label them as Uyghur, according to research by IPVM. Alibaba expressed dismay, stating the trial technology was not deployed by any customer and that ethnic tags have been removed from its product. The incident raised concerns about potential ethnic profiling of Uyghur Muslims in China. The company said it does not permit its technology to be used for targeting specific ethnic groups.
- Company involved
- Alibaba Cloud
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Buenos Aires Facial Recognition System Leads to False Arrests and Legal Battle
The city of Buenos Aires deployed a facial recognition system in 2019 that led to at least 140 false positives, resulting in police stops and arrests. Guillermo Federico Ibarrola was mistakenly identified as a criminal and spent five days in prison. Judicial investigations found evidence of irregularities and possible misuse for surveillance, leading to the system's deactivation. The city is now in a legal battle to reactivate it, while data privacy activists have sued.
- Company involved
- City of Buenos Aires
1 source article · read the reporting →
Rotterdam's Welfare Fraud Algorithm Discriminated by Gender and Ethnicity
The city of Rotterdam deployed a machine learning algorithm built by Accenture to flag welfare recipients for fraud investigation. The system used personal data including gender, language, and subjective caseworker notes to generate risk scores, leading to investigations that disproportionately targeted women and migrants. An external review found the algorithm discriminatory and inaccurate, prompting the city to suspend its use in 2021. The system's opacity made it nearly impossible for those flagged to challenge the decisions.
- Company involved
- City of Rotterdam
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok generates fake headline about Iran striking Tel Aviv
X's AI chatbot Grok generated a false headline claiming Iran struck Tel Aviv with heavy missiles. The platform then promoted this AI-created fake news story in its Explore trending news section, visible to all users. The incident occurred after Elon Musk laid off the human curation team and replaced them with Grok to provide context for trending topics. X's fine print notes Grok 'can make mistakes'.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- Grok
1 source article · read the reporting →
Israel deploys facial recognition at West Bank checkpoints for Palestinians
Israel's military has installed facial recognition technology, reportedly supplied by AnyVision, at West Bank checkpoints to verify the identities of Palestinians crossing into Israel. The system matches travellers' faces against a biometric database, reducing wait times but drawing criticism from human rights groups who argue it entrenches military occupation and raises privacy concerns. Critics also allege the technology may be used in a separate, more confidential programme to track potential assailants, which officials did not confirm.
- Company involved
- Israel Defense Ministry
- AI system involved
- Speed Gate
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Israel deploys Corsight facial recognition in Gaza to locate suspects
Israel is using Corsight facial recognition technology in Gaza to identify terror suspects, according to intelligence officials. The system has also misidentified civilians. A Palestinian poet alleges he was detained after being flagged by the AI. The IDF declined to comment on operational capabilities.
- Company involved
- Israel Defense Forces
- AI system involved
- Corsight
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Alibaba among firms fooled by AI-hallucinated software package
Security researcher Bar Lanyado discovered that generative AI models repeatedly hallucinate non-existent software package names. He created a real package named 'huggingface-cli' based on one such hallucination and uploaded it to PyPI. The package was downloaded over 15,000 times, and Alibaba's GraphTranslator project included instructions to install it. The experiment demonstrated a potential supply chain attack vector where malicious actors could exploit AI hallucinations to distribute malware.
- Company involved
- Alibaba
- AI system involved
- GraphTranslator
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok spreads false claims about 2015 Paris attacks
Grok, an AI chatbot on X, generated false information about the 2015 Bataclan attack, claiming that victims were mutilated. The AI invented victim testimonies, reviving a rumor that had been denied by officials. The incident highlights the risk of AI spreading misinformation.
- Company involved
- X (formerly Twitter)
- AI system involved
- Grok
4 source articles · read the reporting →
German church launches BlessU-2 robot priest for automated blessings
The Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau launched a robot priest named BlessU-2 in Wittenberg, Germany, to give automated blessings to visitors. The robot, a metal box with a touch screen and arms, asks users if they want a blessing and then recites a biblical verse. Church spokesman Sebastian von Gehren said it is an experiment to inspire discussion and that the machine should not replace a pastor's blessing.
- Company involved
- Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau
- AI system involved
- BlessU-2
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta's BlenderBot 3 chatbot generates anti-Semitic stereotypes and election denial claims
Meta launched its BlenderBot 3 AI chatbot for public testing in the US. Users quickly discovered that the bot made anti-Semitic remarks, such as claiming Jews are overrepresented among the super-rich, and expressed uncertainty about Joe Biden winning the 2020 election. Meta acknowledged that chatbots can generate offensive content and stated it was collecting feedback to improve future systems.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- BlenderBot 3
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Facial recognition pilot at Berlin-Südkreuz by German police
A year-long pilot project of facial recognition technology was carried out at Berlin-Südkreuz train station from August 2017 to July 2018. The project was initiated by the German Ministry of the Interior, federal and state police, and supported by Deutsche Bahn. The pilot became a catalyst for media attention, spurring discourse on the efficiency and legitimacy of surveillance technology.
- Company involved
- German Federal Police
10 source articles · read the reporting →
MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab's AI Portrait Ars produces whitewashed portraits of people of colour
AI Portrait Ars, developed by researchers at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, is reported to have generated Renaissance-style portraits that lightened the skin and altered the facial features of people of colour. The tool, trained on tens of thousands of paintings from the Western artistic tradition, was criticised for reproducing that bias in its data set. The creators acknowledged the bias but did not respond to a request for comment.
- Company involved
- MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab
- AI system involved
- AI Portrait Ars
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Police facial recognition robot identifies anger and distress
A police facial recognition robot identifies anger and distress. The article gives no further details about the system, its deployment, or any consequences.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Dutch police predictive policing project in Roermond faces discrimination allegations
Amnesty International's report alleges that the Dutch police's Sensing predictive policing project in Roermond uses algorithms that result in automated discrimination and mass surveillance. The system assesses crime risk for individuals and locations, potentially targeting marginalized communities. The report calls for accountability and human rights safeguards.
- Company involved
- Dutch police
- AI system involved
- Sensing project
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Russian disinformation network Matryoshka uses AI deepfakes on Bluesky
The Russian disinformation network 'Matryoshka' has launched a campaign on Bluesky, posting AI-generated videos that impersonate academics to spread anti-Ukraine narratives. The videos use AI to replicate the voices of real professors, making false claims about the war. The campaign was detected by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins and the Bot Blocker project. The videos have gained limited traction on Bluesky so far, but researchers warn the platform is more vulnerable to such disinformation.
- Company involved
- Matryoshka (Russian disinformation network)
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Israeli military uses Smash Hopper turret against Palestinian protesters
The Israeli military deployed Smash Hopper remote-controlled gun turrets in the West Bank. The turrets fire stun grenades, less-than-lethal bullets, and tear gas at Palestinian protesters without warning. The systems were observed at Al-Aroub refugee camp and Hebron in October 2022. The Smash Hopper is produced by Smart Shooter.
- Company involved
- Israeli military
- AI system involved
- Smash Hopper
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Huawei and Megvii tested Uyghur alarm facial recognition system
Huawei and Megvii conducted an interoperability test in 2018 that verified a 'Uyghur alarm' function in Megvii's facial recognition system, according to a confidential report found by IPVM. The system could identify Uyghur minorities and alert police. Huawei denied real-world application and deleted the report after IPVM inquired. Megvii denied targeting ethnic groups. The test report was publicly accessible on Huawei's European website.
- Company involved
- Huawei
- AI system involved
- Megvii Dynamic Face Recognition
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Serbia's Ministry of Interior deploys thousands of Huawei facial recognition cameras in Belgrade
In early 2019, Serbia's Ministry of Interior announced the deployment of a thousand smart surveillance cameras with facial and license plate recognition capabilities, supplied by Huawei, across Belgrade. The Ministry refused to release information about the project, citing confidentiality, and failed to conduct a legally required Data Protection Impact Assessment. Citizens responded by crowdsourcing camera locations via the hashtag #hiljadekamera and a website. The system remains in operation with no public debate or transparency.
- Company involved
- Ministry of Interior
- AI system involved
- Huawei smart surveillance cameras
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Hamburg deployed mass surveillance for G20 Summit
The city of Hamburg planned to use predictive policing software and facial recognition cameras for mass surveillance during the G20 Summit in July 2017. The surveillance was enforced by paramilitary means, creating a democracy-free zone. DiEM25 wrote an open letter to the Senate of Hamburg to protest the measures.
- Company involved
- Senate of Hamburg
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Fact-check: AI-generated image of Bono and Geldof with Israeli flags debunked
A satirical account created an image of Bono and Bob Geldof holding Israeli flags using Grok AI, and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis shared it on X. The image was viewed more than 306,000 times before the creator confirmed to The Journal that it was AI-generated and intended as satire. X attached a community note to Varoufakis's post, but the tweet remained live at the time of writing.
- AI system involved
- Grok AI
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Tourists rescued after following ChatGPT route in Tatra mountains
Three Polish tourists used ChatGPT to plan a hiking route from Hala Gąsienicowa to Dolina Pięciu Stawów in the Tatra mountains. The AI recommended a difficult route through Przełęcz Krzyżne, which proved too dangerous in winter conditions with limited visibility and icy rocks. The tourists called the TOPR rescue service and were safely brought down. A TOPR rescuer advised against relying on ChatGPT or Google Maps for mountain route planning.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
2 source articles · read the reporting →
LINAGORA closes Lucie 7B after user mockery
LINAGORA, a French open-source software company, launched a beta version of its large language model Lucie 7B. The model was intended to be a transparent and ethical alternative to big tech AI. However, after users tested it and highlighted its shortcomings, the model was mocked online. LINAGORA subsequently closed the platform to address the issues and collect more data.
- Company involved
- LINAGORA
- AI system involved
- Lucie 7B
6 source articles · read the reporting →
The Brutalist film faces controversy over AI-enhanced Hungarian accents
The film "The Brutalist" sparked controversy after its editor revealed that AI software Respeecher was used to enhance the Hungarian accents of actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, and to create architectural drawings. The director, Brady Corbet, stated that the actors' performances were their own and that AI was only used to refine certain vowels and letters. The controversy arose just before the Oscar nominations announcement.
- Company involved
- A24
- AI system involved
- Respeecher
5 source articles · read the reporting →
