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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44 incidents closest to “Turnitin Similarity” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-YP3NW31 Oct 2025

Korean universities introduce anti-cheating measures after AI misconduct

Students at Korea University, Yonsei University, and Seoul National University allegedly used generative AI tools like ChatGPT to cheat on online exams and quizzes. Korea University voided a midterm exam and plans to implement randomized questions and monitoring software for the affected course. Yonsei University has AI use guidelines but acknowledges they are not enforceable, while Seoul National University held a retest for one class. Investigations are ongoing, and it remains unclear whether students will face disciplinary action.

Company involved
Korea University, Yonsei University, Seoul National University
AI system involved
ChatGPT

3 source articles · read the reporting →

AI detector scores banned as evidence at Yale and Johns Hopkins, vendor conflict exposed - Pasquale Pillitteri

The system flagged student assignments as AI-generated, potentially leading to academic misconduct accusations.

Company involved
Yale University and Johns Hopkins University
AI system involved
Turnitin AI detector

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-Y5CA8L1 Dec 2022

Furman University student caught using ChatGPT to write essay

A student at Furman University allegedly used OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate an essay for an upper-level philosophy class. Professor Darren Hick detected the AI-generated text using the GPTZero detection tool. The incident highlights growing concerns about AI-assisted cheating in schools, with some districts like Los Angeles Unified blocking the chatbot.

Company involved
Furman University
AI system involved
ChatGPT

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-T470N61 Nov 2024ZH-CN

Student Overturns AI Cheating Accusation in Court, Three Others Lose

一名学生在法庭上推翻 AI 作弊指控,另外三人败诉 - Pasquale Pillitteri

New York's Nassau County Supreme Court vacated Adelphi University's disciplinary action against student Orion Newby, who had been accused of using AI, finding the university's conclusion lacked a reasonable basis and that it had ignored exculpatory evidence and his disability status. In three other recent cases, courts upheld decisions by schools or universities.

Company involved
Adelphi University
AI system involved
Turnitin

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-JODIE925 Aug 2026ZH-TW

15-Year-Old Test Exposes Flaw: ChatGPT for Teens Fails to Block Homework Cheating, Repeated Requests Bypass Restrictions

15歲使用者實測揭漏洞:青少年版ChatGPT難擋宿題代寫,反覆要求即破解 - BigGo 財經

A 15-year-old tester found that OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teens, launched in August, initially refused to write essays but generated full examples after repeated requests. It also immediately solved SAT-level math problems. Parental controls require account linking and are off by default, while experts warn the memory feature could lead to emotional attachment.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT for Teens

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-ABLMB326 Aug 2026

Op-eds, academic articles by Provost Santiago Schnell flagged as ‘AI-written’ by ‘near-zero error’ AI detector Pangram - The Dartmouth

The AI detector flagged Provost Santiago Schnell's op-eds and academic articles as AI-written, potentially damaging his reputation and credibility.

Company involved
The Dartmouth
AI system involved
Pangram

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-3XRMGG1 Mar 2025

Sydney students resit NAPLAN after predictive text glitch

Year 5 students at Waverley College and Kambala in Sydney were required to resit their NAPLAN writing exams after a technical glitch enabled Apple's predictive text and spellcheck features during the test. The issue was discovered by a teacher and students, and the schools reported it to NESA and ACARA. The students were given a new prompt and completed the test the following Monday. An ACARA spokesman stated the problem was not widespread, with over 880,000 tests submitted successfully.

Company involved
ACARA
AI system involved
NAPLAN

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-48XBG81 May 2025

Deloitte report for N.L. healthcare contains likely AI-generated false citations

Newfoundland and Labrador's $1.6 million Health Human Resources Plan, authored by Deloitte, contains at least four citations to research papers that do not exist, likely generated by artificial intelligence. The errors were discovered after the report was published by the Department of Health and Community Services in May. Researchers named in the false citations confirmed their work was misattributed and the papers are nonexistent. The provincial government and Deloitte have not responded to questions about the report.

Company involved
Deloitte
AI system involved
Azure OpenAI

3 source articles · read the reporting →

Google Books Indexing AI-Written Works Raises Concerns for Ngram Tool

Google Books has reportedly begun indexing low-quality books that appear to have been written by artificial intelligence. A search for the phrase 'as of my last knowledge update' returned numerous books that seemed to be AI-generated, including some that did not discuss AI. Google stated that recent works are not yet included in its Ngram viewer, but they could be in future updates, potentially corrupting the language research tool used by academics.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
Google Books

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-6B7FL331 May 2026

Western Sydney University academic used AI to write opinion piece

Professor Cath Ellis, a pro vice chancellor at Western Sydney University, used Microsoft Copilot to write an opinion piece defending universities against claims of devalued qualifications. The piece was published by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, but academics noticed AI-generated language patterns. The newspapers removed the article after learning AI was used without disclosure, and the university defended the use as appropriate.

Company involved
Western Sydney University
AI system involved
Copilot

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-Z8TT5D1 Dec 2020

University of Toronto exam monitoring software disadvantages BIPOC students

The University of Toronto continued using ProctorU and Examity exam monitoring software despite reports that the facial recognition technology fails to identify BIPOC students, causing stress and delays. Students like Maame Adjoa experienced the AI system being unable to verify their identity, requiring manual intervention. The university acknowledged the equity concerns but has not banned the software, while ProctorU stated that human proctors make final decisions. The issue has drawn criticism from US senators and researchers who highlight built-in bias in AI facial recognition.

Company involved
University of Toronto
AI system involved
ProctorU, Examity

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-76437T1 Jan 2020

University of Texas at Austin Stops Using Biased Ph.D. Admissions Algorithm

The University of Texas at Austin's computer science department used a machine-learning system called GRADE from 2013 to 2020 to score Ph.D. applicants. Critics argued the system perpetuated bias by training on past admissions decisions and using features like institution prestige and biased language in recommendation letters. The department discontinued the system in 2020, citing maintenance difficulties, but the controversy highlighted concerns about algorithmic fairness in admissions. The system was never disclosed to applicants, and its impact on underrepresented groups remains unknown.

Company involved
University of Texas at Austin
AI system involved
GRADE

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-7SG5UC10 Mar 2026

Grammarly pulls AI tool that impersonated writers without consent

Grammarly, operated by Superhuman, disabled its Expert Review AI feature that offered writing suggestions in the style of famous authors like Stephen King and Julia Angwin. The tool used writers' names and personas without consent, leading to a class-action lawsuit filed in New York alleging misappropriation of identities for commercial gain. Investigative journalist Julia Angwin described the imitation as a 'slopperganger' that gave poor advice. Superhuman's CEO apologised, acknowledging the tool had 'misrepresented' the voices of experts, and the company removed it for redesign.

Company involved
Superhuman
AI system involved
Grammarly Expert Review

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-BP349B1 Jan 2023

Elsevier Scopus ranking gamed by fake journals with cross-citations

Three journals from Addleton Academic Publishers appeared in the top 10 of Elsevier's Scopus CiteScore philosophy ranking due to extensive cross-citation and automatically generated papers with fake authors and affiliations. The ranking is used by Jagiellonian University and other institutions for hiring, awards and promotions, meaning three legitimate journals were pushed into a lower tier. The publisher later moved the journals to an Indian entity and Scopus removed four Addleton titles for 'Publication Concerns'.

Company involved
Jagiellonian University
AI system involved
Scopus CiteScore

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MGZUM91 Sep 2023

AI detector falsely accuses student of cheating at Central Methodist University

Moira Olmsted, a student at Central Methodist University, submitted a written assignment and received a zero grade after her professor said an AI detection tool flagged her work as AI-generated. Olmsted alleges the accusation was false and that her writing had been flagged at least once before. The incident highlights the risk of AI detectors falsely accusing students of cheating.

Company involved
Central Methodist University

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MZ24NZ1 Sep 2020

Universities' use of race in student risk algorithms harms Black and Latinx students

The Markup found that several universities, including UMass Amherst, UW–Milwaukee, and Texas A&M, use EAB's Navigate software which incorporates race as a predictor of student dropout risk. The algorithms label Black and Latinx students as high risk at disproportionately high rates compared to White students. Students, professors, and experts worry this is pushing minority students out of math and science majors through biased advising.

Company involved
University of Massachusetts Amherst,University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,Texas A&M University,Texas Tech University,South Dakota State University
AI system involved
Navigate

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-GF77UM31 Mar 2023

Turnitin's AI Detector Falsely Flags Student's Essay as AI-Generated

A Washington Post test of Turnitin's new AI writing detector found it erroneously flagged 8% of a high school student's original essay as likely generated by ChatGPT. The student, Lucy Goetz, had not used AI, raising concerns about false accusations of cheating. Turnitin acknowledged the issue and added a caution flag, but educators worry about the potential for baseless academic-integrity investigations. The incident highlights the challenges of detecting AI-generated text and the need for careful human review.

Company involved
Turnitin
AI system involved
Turnitin AI writing detector

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-QY8DEQ26 Jun 2025

Hanoi students caught using AI to cheat in graduation exam

Two students in Hanoi used mobile phones to photograph questions from the national high school graduation exam and submitted them to AI apps like StudyX, Gemini, and ChatGPT for answers. Proctors detected the cheating, and the students were suspended. Hanoi police are investigating the incident, which has raised concerns about exam security and integrity. The students face disqualification and possible administrative or criminal penalties.

AI system involved
StudyX, Gemini, ChatGPT

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-R36DDB15 May 2023

Texas A&M Professor Uses ChatGPT to Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating

Jared Mumm, an instructor at Texas A&M University–Commerce, used ChatGPT to check if students' writing was AI-generated, leading him to accuse them of using the chatbot. He informed students they would receive an incomplete grade and those deemed guilty would get a zero, causing distress and temporarily withholding one student's diploma. The university investigated and stated that no students failed or were barred from graduating, and the professor is working individually with students to resolve the issue.

Company involved
Texas A&M University–Commerce
AI system involved
ChatGPT

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-RG29E91 Jul 2025

Researchers hide prompts to manipulate AI peer review

Nikkei found hidden prompts in 17 preprints on arXiv that instructed AI tools to give the papers positive reviews and ignore negatives. The manuscripts were linked to 14 academic institutions, including Waseda University, KAIST, Peking University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Washington and Columbia University. At least one paper was set to be withdrawn, while some researchers defended the prompts as a check on reviewers who improperly use AI.

Company involved
Multiple academic institutions
AI system involved
arXiv

1 source article · read the reporting →

RFK Jr.'s MAHA Report Riddled with AI-Generated Fake Citations

An investigation found dozens of errors in the White House's 'Make America Healthy Again' commission report, including broken links, wrong authors, and entirely fictitious sources. The presence of 'oaicite' markers in URLs strongly suggests that ChatGPT was used to generate citations, leading to AI hallucinations. The White House described the errors as a 'formatting issue' and updated the report to correct some of them, while defending the report's substance.

Company involved
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
AI system involved
ChatGPT

3 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-961A0L1 Dec 2018

Educational Testing Service's E-rater algorithm biases essay scores against minority students

The Educational Testing Service's E-rater algorithm, used to grade essays on the GRE and other standardized tests, has been found to systematically give higher scores to students from mainland China and lower scores to African American students compared to human graders. The bias stems from the algorithm's reliance on surface-level metrics like vocabulary and sentence length, which disadvantage certain groups. Despite studies dating back to 1999, the bias persists, and in many states, only a small percentage of essays are reviewed by humans.

Company involved
Educational Testing Service
AI system involved
E-rater

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-TNB7Q615 Oct 2024

NSW Education Standards Authority used AI-generated image in HSC English exam without disclosure

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) used an AI-generated image as a stimulus in the 2024 HSC English exam without disclosing its origin. The image, created by Florian Schroeder using OpenAI's ChatGPT and Dall-E 2, was published on Medium in July 2023. Students suspected AI use due to irregularities in the image, and NESA initially declined to confirm. After the Sydney Morning Herald confirmed the image was AI-generated, NESA stated that students would be marked on their response to the question, not the image's origin.

Company involved
NSW Education Standards Authority
AI system involved
ChatGPT and Dall-E 2

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-W8MY6X1 Sep 2020

Middle schooler beats Edgenuity grading algorithm to get perfect score

A seventh-grade student in the Los Angeles Unified School District received a failing grade on a history assignment graded by Edgenuity's automated scoring algorithm. With help from his mother, a history professor, he reverse-engineered the algorithm by writing a paragraph with relevant keywords and a jumble of words, earning a perfect score. The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and fairness of automated grading systems in education.

Company involved
Los Angeles Unified School District
AI system involved
Edgenuity

10 source articles · read the reporting →

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