Study Finds COMPAS Sentencing Algorithm No More Accurate Than Random People, Shows Racial Bias
A study by Dartmouth College researchers found that the COMPAS recidivism risk assessment algorithm, used by judges in several US states, is no more accurate than random people recruited online. The algorithm, developed by Equivalent, exhibited racial bias by classifying black defendants as higher risk and white defendants as lower risk, leading to harsher rehabilitation recommendations for black defendants. The bias likely stems from skewed arrest rate data. The findings build on a 2016 ProPublica investigation.
- Company involved
- Broward County courts
- AI system involved
- COMPAS
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
Coco Robotics delivery robot destroyed by train in Miami after stalling on tracks
A Coco Robotics delivery robot stalled on a railroad track in Miami on 15 January 2026 and was struck by a passing train. The robot, which was not making a delivery at the time, experienced a rare hardware failure, according to the company. No one was injured, but the robot was destroyed. Coco Robotics stated that safety is a priority and that the incident was extremely rare.
- Company involved
- Coco Robotics
2 source articles · read the reporting →
SafeRent Settles Class Action Over Tenant Screening for Voucher Holders
Mary Louis and Monica Douglas filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 alleging that SafeRent Solutions' SafeRent Score product discriminated against rental applicants in Massachusetts who held public housing vouchers, violating fair housing and consumer protection laws. SafeRent denied wrongdoing. The court approved a settlement in November 2024, and payments were distributed to eligible class members in 2025 and 2026.
- Company involved
- SafeRent Solutions, LLC
- AI system involved
- SafeRent Score
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Cadillac Fairview malls use facial recognition without consent
At least two Calgary malls owned by Cadillac Fairview, Chinook Centre and Market Mall, deployed facial recognition software in their directories to estimate shoppers' ages and genders without notifying them or obtaining consent. The software, provided by MappedIn, counts users and predicts demographics but does not store images, which the company claims makes consent unnecessary. Privacy advocates expressed concern that the data could be combined with other information to profile individuals, and noted that under Alberta's PIPA, notification is required for collection of personal information. The malls did not offer an opt-out, and the practice was ongoing as of July 2018.
- Company involved
- Cadillac Fairview
- AI system involved
- MappedIn
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 →
Zoox robotaxi crashes into parked car, injuring driver's hand in San Francisco
On 17 January 2026, a Zoox autonomous vehicle carrying a company employee collided with the open driver's-side door of a parked 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille in San Francisco. The door was opened by street ambassador Jamel Durden, whose hand was smashed in the crash. Zoox stated the robotaxi detected the opening door and attempted to avoid it but contact was unavoidable. The San Francisco Police Department and California DMV are investigating, and Zoox is cooperating with authorities.
- Company involved
- Zoox
- AI system involved
- Zoox robotaxi
1 source article · read the reporting →
Rockingham County Sheriff Warns of AI-Created Clickbait Scam Targeting Teens
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office warned of an online scam campaign using AI-generated clickbait to lure students and teenagers to malicious websites. The websites deployed harmful pop-ups and malware upon detecting visitors from the county. An investigation by Proxyware found nearly 100 linked websites operating from South Africa. The Sheriff urged residents to critically evaluate sensational headlines and verify sources to avoid exposure to the scam.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
NSW Reconstruction Authority data breach exposes 2031 people's info via ChatGPT
A former temporary staff member of the NSW Reconstruction Authority uploaded personal information of 2031 Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program applicants to ChatGPT without authorisation. The data included names, contact details, dates of birth, and sensitive health information. The breach occurred between 12 and 15 March 2025. The authority has notified affected individuals, reported the breach to the NSW Privacy Commissioner, and implemented measures to prevent future unauthorised use of AI tools.
- Company involved
- NSW Reconstruction Authority
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
2 source articles · read the reporting →
RCMP used IntelCenter facial recognition without disclosure
The RCMP in British Columbia secretly subscribed to IntelCenter's facial recognition service, which matched faces against a database of 700,000 faces tied to terrorism. Internal emails revealed the force broke its own procurement rules and hid the purchase. The RCMP claimed it was only for testing, but documents showed active use. The contracts ended in 2019.
- Company involved
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- AI system involved
- IntelCenter Check
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Cruise robotaxi drags woman 20 feet, company pays over $8M settlement
On October 2, 2023, a Cruise robotaxi in downtown San Francisco struck and dragged a woman 20 feet after she was hit by a human driver. The autonomous vehicle attempted to pull over while the pedestrian was trapped underneath, causing life-threatening injuries. Cruise later paid a settlement of between $8 million and $12 million to the victim. The California DMV suspended Cruise's driverless permits after the company failed to show regulators complete footage of the incident.
- Company involved
- Cruise
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian terrorism prediction tool Vera-2R flagged autism as criminality risk factor
An independent report found that the Australian government's Vera-2R terrorism risk assessment tool included autism spectrum disorders as a risk factor without empirical evidence. The tool was used to assess terrorist offenders, influencing post-sentence orders including ongoing detention. Despite the critical report being received in May 2020, the federal and NSW governments continued to use the tool. The report concluded the tool was 'extremely poor' at predicting risk.
- Company involved
- Department of Home Affairs
- AI system involved
- Vera-2R
1 source article · read the reporting →
Black teen barred from Livonia skating rink after facial recognition misidentification
Lamya Robinson, a Black teenager, was denied entry to Riverside Arena skating rink in Livonia, Michigan, after the venue's facial recognition system misidentified her as someone banned for a previous brawl. Staff told her she matched a banned individual with 97% confidence, but she had never been to the rink before. Her family is considering legal action, alleging racial profiling, while the rink apologised if a mistake was made and said it would investigate.
- Company involved
- Riverside Arena
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian education ministers scrap NAPLAN robot marking
The Education Council decided not to use automated essay scoring for NAPLAN writing tests, dropping a proposal by ACARA to have computers mark English tasks. Teachers' unions had campaigned against the plan, and an academic warned that the software would reward verbose gibberish and could not assess creativity. The decision was made in December 2017 and announced in January 2018.
- Company involved
- Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Center for Auto Safety petitions NHTSA over Nissan Rogue AEB false activations
The Center for Auto Safety petitioned NHTSA to investigate false activations of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system on 2017-2018 Nissan Rogue vehicles. The system reportedly engages abruptly when no obstruction is present, causing near misses and forcing following drivers to take evasive action. Nissan issued a Technical Service Bulletin to dealers but has not conducted a safety recall. The petition seeks a formal investigation and a determination that the defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety.
- Company involved
- Nissan
- AI system involved
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
5 source articles · read the reporting →
CBP One app's facial recognition fails on Black skin tones, migrants report
Migrants and advocates report that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's CBP One app, used to schedule asylum appointments, frequently crashes and fails to recognize photographs of Black individuals, particularly affecting Haitians. The app also splits families and assigns appointments at distant border crossings, causing long waits in dangerous conditions. CBP did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- AI system involved
- CBP One
4 source articles · read the reporting →
EEOC sues iTutorGroup for automated rejection of older tutor applicants
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges that tutoring provider iTutorGroup programmed its recruitment software automatically to reject female applicants aged 55 or older and male applicants aged 60 or older. More than 200 qualified US-based applicants were denied work in 2020. The EEOC has filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York seeking back pay and damages.
- Company involved
- iTutorGroup
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft's How Old app gives inaccurate age estimates, becomes meme
Microsoft demonstrated its face-recognition API at the Build conference on April 30, 2015, with a demo app called How Old that estimated ages from photos. Users quickly found the estimates were often wildly inaccurate and began mocking the app on social media. Microsoft acknowledged the inaccuracy and said it would improve the underlying technology.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- How Old
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Titus Henderson files civil rights lawsuit against COMPAS
Titus Henderson, a prisoner, filed a civil rights lawsuit against COMPAS and other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on July 16, 2018. The lawsuit alleges discrimination related to the use of the COMPAS risk assessment tool. The case is ongoing.
- AI system involved
- COMPAS
6 source articles · read the reporting →
The People v. Raziel Ruiz Alvarez (CA California): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Published order; monetary sanction payable by Counsel…
The AI generated fabricated legal citations that were included in a court filing, affecting the defendant's legal representation and the court's resources.
- Company involved
- Attorney Siddell
1 source article · read the reporting →
New York City's McKinsey-led jail violence program manipulated data, violence increased
New York City paid McKinsey & Company $27.5 million to reduce violence at Rikers Island jail complex. McKinsey designed a predictive algorithm called the Housing Unit Balancer and Restart housing units, but jail officials and McKinsey consultants stacked the units with compliant inmates to artificially lower violence numbers. Violence actually increased by nearly 50% during the project. The city eventually decided to close Rikers.
- Company involved
- New York City Department of Correction
- AI system involved
- Housing Unit Balancer (HUB)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
USPS algorithm RRECS causes pay cuts for two-thirds of rural mail carriers
The United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented a new algorithm, RRECS, to evaluate rural carrier routes and determine pay. Due to flaws in how carriers scanned packages, the algorithm underestimated route times, resulting in pay cuts for 66 per cent of rural carriers, some losing thousands of dollars annually. Carriers report that they were not adequately trained on the system and that the cuts are scheduled to take effect, though they have been postponed multiple times. The USPS stated that the system is the result of a nationally negotiated agreement.
- Company involved
- United States Postal Service
- AI system involved
- RRECS
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Cruise robotaxi hits San Francisco fire truck, one injured
A Cruise self-driving car collided with a San Francisco Fire Department truck that was responding to an emergency. The incident occurred on August 17, 2023, in the Tenderloin district. One passenger sustained non-severe injuries and was taken to hospital. Cruise acknowledged the crash and offered support to the rider.
- Company involved
- Cruise
- AI system involved
- Cruise self-driving car
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Met Police buys £3m retrospective facial recognition system
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has awarded a £3 million, four-year contract to Northgate Public Services for a new retrospective facial-recognition (RFR) system to be deployed within three months. RFR processes biometric information from historic CCTV, social media, and other images to identify suspects and missing persons, operating retroactively unlike live facial recognition. The procurement was approved by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime in August 2021. The MPS states that human-in-the-loop decision-making will be used, but digital rights groups and a former biometrics commissioner have raised concerns about potential discrimination, overrepresentation of marginalised groups in watch lists, and lack of a legislative framework.
- Company involved
- Metropolitan Police Service
- AI system involved
- Retrospective facial-recognition software
9 source articles · read the reporting →
