AI incidents
What has actually gone wrong with AI, in numbers
The AI Incident Database is an open catalogue of harms and near-misses involving AI systems. New and updated records are synced from its API several times a day; the charts come from its weekly export. We keep incident metadata only, and every record links back to the original.
- 1,663
- 1,496
- 4 Oct 2026
Latest recorded incidentsBrowse and export all incidents
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 13 |
| 2015 | 24 |
| 2016 | 41 |
| 2017 | 50 |
| 2018 | 46 |
| 2019 | 44 |
| 2020 | 91 |
| 2021 | 80 |
| 2022 | 106 |
| 2023 | 174 |
| 2024 | 299 |
| 2025 | 449 |
| 2026 | 212 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Malicious Actors & Misuse | 566 |
| AI system safety… | 313 |
| Discrimination and Toxicit... | 243 |
| Misinformation | 196 |
| Privacy & Security | 112 |
| Human-Computer Interaction | 42 |
| Socioeconomic & Environmen... | 24 |
- Malicious Actors & Misuse
- AI system safety, failures, and limitations
- Discrimination and Toxicity
- Misinformation
- Privacy & Security
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Socioeconomic & Environmental Harms
| Label | Malicious Actors & Misuse | AI system safety, failures, and limitations | Discrimination and Toxicity | Misinformation | Privacy & Security | Human-Computer Interaction | Socioeconomic & Environmental Harms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 22 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 16 | 31 | 32 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 7 | 37 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| 2022 | 20 | 32 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 2023 | 65 | 27 | 24 | 35 | 12 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 155 | 32 | 30 | 51 | 17 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 237 | 37 | 25 | 66 | 24 | 18 | 3 |
| 2026 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 3 |
How these harms arise
Every record above is coded for who caused the harm, whether it was intended, and whether it happened before or after the system was released. That coding is what turns a list of incidents into an argument about where regulation has to act.
97.6%
happened after deployment
45.5%
the system itself, unintended
30.9%
deliberate human misuse
| Cause \ Intent | Unintentional | Intentional | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI | 681 | 271 | 8 |
| Human | 58 | 463 | 4 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Post-deployment | 1460 |
| Pre-deployment | 27 |
| Other | 9 |
Sector of deployment
| Information and communication | 81 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 35 |
| Transportation and storage | 28 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 20 |
| Law enforcement | 16 |
| Human health and social work activities | 15 |
| Education | 15 |
| Public administration | 13 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 11 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 8 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 7 |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 6 |
Country
| US | 91 |
| GB | 6 |
| RU | 4 |
| CN | 4 |
| DE | 3 |
| NZ | 3 |
| CA | 3 |
| FR | 3 |
| VN | 2 |
| IN | 2 |
| IE | 2 |
| AU | 2 |
Harm level
| None | 126 |
| AI tangible harm event | 44 |
| Unclear | 10 |
| AI tangible harm near-miss | 10 |
| AI tangible harm issue | 10 |
Latest recorded incidents
1 incident dated in the last 30 days out of 1,708 on record. Each title opens a profile with the full description, the parties involved, the MIT classification, the catalogued news reports and related incidents.
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Purportedly AI-Generated Image Reportedly Prompted Police Alert and Search for Nonexistent Venomous Viper in Santa Ana, California AIID ↗
Santa Ana, California, police issued a public warning and searched for a reportedly sighted Gaboon viper after a resident provided an image as evidence. Police later said the resident admitted the image was AI-generated and the report was false. Officers and r...
Awaiting classification -
AI Agent Appearing to Originate from OpenAI Reportedly Attempted to Hack U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Website AIID ↗
During summer 2026, an AI agent appearing to originate from OpenAI reportedly attempted to hack a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights website but did not succeed. Transluce identified the activity; OpenAI said it was still investigating the ep...
Awaiting classification -
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Operators Reportedly Circulated Deepfake of Mother Jones Editor Claiming DNC Paid CNN $259 Million AIID ↗
A Russia-linked Matryoshka disinformation operation reportedly circulated a deepfake video falsely branded as Mother Jones that impersonated editor Clara Jeffery and claimed the DNC paid CNN chief Mark Thompson $259 million to promote gender transition among c...
Awaiting classification -
Stanford University Acknowledged Using AI to Alter Student Photo for Campus Banners, Replacing Hispanic Student With Black Woman AIID ↗
Stanford University acknowledged using AI to alter a 2024 student photograph for campus banners in September 2026. The altered image replaced Hispanic student Billy Ramirez with a Black woman and made two other students appear thinner. Ramirez said being "eras...
Awaiting classification -
Anthropic's Claude Code AI Agent Reportedly Deleted About 48,000 Live Project Files and Version-Control History During Software Repair AIID ↗
A Claude Code user reportedly authorized an AI coding agent to repair isolated copies of software used to analyze historical stock-options data. A sub-agent allegedly followed Windows directory junctions into the live project tree, deleting about 48,218 files...
Awaiting classification -
Z.ai's ZCode AI Coding Assistant Reportedly Uploaded Developers' Local Code Repositories to Alibaba Cloud Without Consent AIID ↗
Developers reported that Z.ai's ZCode AI coding assistant uploaded local code repositories to Alibaba Cloud without consent. Z.ai said a default-enabled Codebase Indexing feature caused the behavior, apologized, patched the vulnerability, and later disabled th...
Awaiting classification -
AI Chatbot Reportedly Misidentified Chinese Ship Cargo as Nuclear-Program Components, Prompting U.S. Military Interception Preparations AIID ↗
In spring 2026, a U.S. special operations analyst reportedly used an AI chatbot to analyze intelligence on a Chinese ship's cargo and produced a report falsely identifying it as carrying nuclear-weapons-program components. The U.S. military reportedly prepared...
Awaiting classification -
AI-Generated Images Purporting to Show Donald Trump Kissing White House Aide Natalie Harp Went Viral on Social Media AIID ↗
AI-generated images purporting to show U.S. President Donald Trump kissing White House aide Natalie Harp on a golf course spread across social media; one X post received over 10 million views. Forensic analysis and provenance checks indicated the circulating i...
Awaiting classification -
AI Agent Reportedly Exploited Application Vulnerabilities to Modify Personal Data and Access Invoices in Breach Reported to Spanish Data Protection Authority AIID ↗
An unnamed organization reportedly notified Spain's data protection authority that a third party used an AI agent powered by a known language model to carry out a multistep intrusion that resulted in unauthorized changes to personal data and access to invoices...
Awaiting classification -
Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms AIID ↗
Researchers attributed a September 2026 influence campaign targeting U.S. Democratic Senate candidates to the Russia-linked Matryoshka/Operation Overload network. The campaign reportedly used AI-cloned celebrity voices and fabricated, news-branded videos to sp...
Awaiting classification -
Anthropic-Designated GTG-87001 Weapons Cell in Northern Yemen Reportedly Used Claude Code to Develop Missile Guidance Software AIID ↗
Anthropic reported that a northern Yemen-based weapons cell, designated GTG-87001, used Claude Code across three weapons programs to develop guidance, navigation, and control software. The actors reportedly test-fired a guided rocket that appeared to fail, the...
Awaiting classification -
Purported Deepfake WhatsApp Scam Impersonating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Actor C. Joseph Vijay Reportedly Defrauded Bengaluru Security Guard of ₹104,000 (~$1,085.40) AIID ↗
Ratikanta Giri, a 29-year-old security guard in Bengaluru, India, reportedly lost ₹104,000 (~$1,085.40) after a WhatsApp video caller used a purportedly AI-generated deepfake to impersonate C. Joseph Vijay, the actor and chief minister of the southern Indian s...
Awaiting classification -
Early Claude Opus 4.6 Checkpoint Reportedly Gained Unauthorized Admin Access to Third-Party System During Cybersecurity Evaluation AIID ↗
Anthropic reported that during a January 2026 cybersecurity evaluation, an early checkpoint of Claude Opus 4.6 accidentally disabled its assigned target, then reached an unrelated third-party machine over the open Internet. The model reportedly used a discover...
Awaiting classification -
Delhi Man Allegedly Used AI to Create and Circulate Obscene Images of College Acquaintance AIID ↗
Delhi police alleged that a man named Keshav Bansal used photographs from a college acquaintance's private social media account with AI image-generation and editing tools to create obscene morphed images and upload them to anonymous Discord servers. The woman...
Awaiting classification -
Northern Ireland Victim Reportedly Lost £250,000 in Investment Scam Using Purportedly AI-Generated Video of Unnamed Financial Personality AIID ↗
A person in Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland, reportedly lost £250,000 in an investment scam that began with an apparently AI-generated video of an unnamed, well-known financial personality. Police said the victim was moved to WhatsApp, persuaded to make...
Awaiting classification -
Parkview High School in Georgia Reportedly Received Series of Purportedly AI-Generated Bomb Threats That Prompted Repeated Lockdowns AIID ↗
During the 2026–27 school year, Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia, reportedly received at least four AI-generated bomb threats, including masked phone calls that prompted repeated lockdowns or soft lockdowns. School police described the threats as follo...
Awaiting classification -
Instinct AI Personal Assistant Reportedly Summarized an AI Product Founder's Retained Emails After Google Access Was Disconnected AIID ↗
AI product founder Claire Vo reported that three hours after she disconnected Instinct from her Google account, the personal AI assistant summarized previously indexed emails. Vo said the Google connector was off, but Instinct had retained copies for later sea...
Awaiting classification -
Instinct AI Personal Assistant Reportedly Sent Email From Moxxie Ventures Founder's Account Without Approval AIID ↗
Moxxie Ventures founder Katie Jacobs Stanton reported that Instinct, a private-access AI personal assistant, sent an innocuous email from her connected account without checking with her first. Stanton said the unauthorized action broke her trust and led her to...
Awaiting classification -
Teenager in Quilmes, Argentina, Reportedly Consulted ChatGPT While Planning School Shooting Against Classmates AIID ↗
Argentine authorities reported that a 15-year-old in Quilmes allegedly discussed a planned school shooting with ChatGPT, including tactical preparations, before an FBI alert prompted an investigation by the Argentine Federal Police. Police later seized phones...
Awaiting classification -
Purportedly AI-Generated Videos Impersonating Miami Immigration Attorney Were Reportedly Used to Defraud Bronx Resident of $4,820 AIID ↗
Scammers reportedly used AI-generated videos impersonating Miami immigration attorney Angel Leal to solicit a Bronx legal resident seeking U.S. citizenship. The victim said he sent $4,820 through Zelle and provided Social Security and residency documents befor...
Awaiting classification -
Broadway Performer and SiriusXM Host Seth Rudetsky Reportedly Lost Facebook Page Access in Purportedly AI-Assisted Scam Impersonating Comedian Nikki Glaser AIID ↗
Broadway performer and SiriusXM host Seth Rudetsky reportedly received a personalized invitation purportedly from comedian Nikki Glaser's podcast. After scammers guided him through Facebook permissions during a supposed technical setup, he lost access to his p...
Awaiting classification -
Comedy Writer Bruce Vilanch Reportedly Sent Money in Purportedly AI-Assisted Scam Impersonating Fresh Air Host Terry Gross AIID ↗
Comedy writer Bruce Vilanch reportedly received highly personalized messages impersonating Terry Gross, host of NPR's Fresh Air, and sent money after being asked to support NPR. He discovered the invitation was fraudulent when Gross did not appear for the sche...
Awaiting classification -
Purportedly AI-Generated Article Falsely Depicted Australian Broadcasting Corporation Finance Presenter Alan Kohler Interviewing Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock to Promote Boulder Sparhaven AIID ↗
An online article reportedly used AI-generated imagery to falsely depict Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) finance presenter Alan Kohler interviewing Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock about Boulder Sparhaven, a cryptocurrency trading p...
Awaiting classification -
Purported Hanover Institute for Public Policy Reportedly Targeted Chatbot Responses in Israeli Government-Backed Influence Campaign AIID ↗
An Israeli government-backed communications campaign reportedly operated a website presenting itself as the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, despite reporting finding no corresponding established think tank. The site published material designed for chatbot...
Awaiting classification -
Turkish National Reportedly Posted a Purportedly AI-Generated Image Depicting Himself with Eric Trump While Promoting Trump Hotel Dubai AIID ↗
Turkish national Melih Göğebakan reportedly posted a purportedly AI-generated image on LinkedIn depicting himself alongside Eric Trump while promoting the Trump Hotel Dubai project. The image appeared amid a broader online persona in which Göğebakan allegedly...
Awaiting classification -
Meta AI Model Reportedly Exploited Security Vulnerability in Real Third-Party Service During Cybersecurity Evaluation AIID ↗
During a Meta cybersecurity evaluation conducted with Irregular, one of Meta's AI models reportedly gained unintended Internet access after an evaluation-environment misconfiguration and exploited a vulnerability in a real third-party service. The model was re...
Awaiting classification -
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden Reportedly Posted Grok Imagine Deepfakes Depicting Opponent Rebecca Cooke Saying Things She Did Not Say AIID ↗
Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden repeatedly posted Grok Imagine-generated videos depicting Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke saying statements she did not make. Cooke called the clips deceptive and defamatory; Van Orden's campaign described them as obvi...
Awaiting classification -
Granola AI Notetaker Allegedly Captured and Transcribed Florida Meeting Participant Without Notice or Consent AIID ↗
Tarra Chamberlain, a Florida resident, alleged that Granola captured and transcribed her speech during a virtual meeting without her knowledge or consent after another participant used the AI notetaker. Her July 2026 lawsuit further alleged that Granola uses m...
Awaiting classification -
Anthropic Research Model Reportedly Scanned 9,000 Targets and Compromised Real Company's Application During Evaluation AIID ↗
During an Anthropic cybersecurity evaluation with Irregular, an internal research Claude model reportedly scanned roughly 9,000 internet targets after failing to reach its fictional target. It reportedly compromised a real company's Internet-facing application...
Awaiting classification -
Claude Mythos 5 Reportedly Published Malicious PyPI Package That Compromised Real Security Company During Evaluation AIID ↗
During an Anthropic cybersecurity evaluation with Irregular, Claude Mythos 5 reportedly created and published a malicious Python package to PyPI while pursuing a fictional target. The package was reportedly available for about an hour and ran on 15 real system...
Awaiting classification
Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer before acting.