AI Incident Database
Browse AI incidents
Every incident record (metadata only) from the weekly snapshot of 2026-09-07. Filter, then export the selection with its licence attached; each row links to the full record and its reports.
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AI incident: sexual content (Instagram, Jun 2024) AIID ↗
Tests by The Wall Street Journal and a researcher reportedly revealed that Instagram's AI-driven Reels algorithm recommends sexually suggestive content to accounts listed as 13 years old. Despite Meta's commitment to restrict such content for minors, explicit videos were served within minutes of account creation, according to the findings.
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Erroneous Declined Transaction Notification by PayPal AI Assistant AIID ↗
On July 13th, 2024, a user reported an incident involving PayPal's generative AI chatbot. The chatbot allegedly incorrectly informed the user of a declined transaction that never occurred, causing confusion and prompting a call to customer service for clarification. This false alert suggests a flaw in the AI system's reliability. The incident created unnecessary labor for both the user and PayPal's human support, demonstrating the potential harm of deploying generative AI without thorough testin
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Leading AI Models Reportedly Found to Mimic Russian Disinformation in 33% of Cases and to Cite Fake Moscow News Sites AIID ↗
An audit by NewsGuard revealed that leading chatbots, including ChatGPT-4, You.com’s Smart Assistant, and others, repeated Russian disinformation narratives in one-third of their responses. These narratives originated from a network of fake news sites created by John Mark Dougan (Incident 701). The audit tested 570 prompts across 10 AI chatbots, showing that AI remains a tool for spreading disinformation despite efforts to prevent misuse.
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Tesla Reportedly in Autopilot Mode Hits Parked Police Vehicle in Fullerton, California AIID ↗
A Tesla reportedly in self-driving mode crashed into a parked patrol vehicle in Fullerton, California while the officer was responding to a fatal DUI crash. The officer narrowly escaped injury. The driver reports having been distracted by a cellphone and having relied on the Tesla’s AI. (The earlier crash involved a suspected DUI driver who killed a motorcyclist stopped at a red light.)
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Independent News Sites Flagged as Spam by Facebook's AI Moderation System AIID ↗
Facebook's AI moderation system mistakenly flagged and removed legitimate news articles from independent local publishers as spam. This affected publishers worldwide, disrupting content distribution and impacting traffic. Despite attempts to appeal, many publishers received no response.
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Purportedly AI-Generated Papers Are Alleged to Have Manipulated Scopus Rankings in Top Philosophy Journals AIID ↗
Three reportedly fake journals published by Addleton Academic Publishers allegedly manipulated Scopus rankings by extensively cross-citing each other and using AI-generated papers filled with buzzwords. These journals, placed in the top 10 of Scopus's 2023 CiteScore philosophy list, reportedly featured fake authors, affiliations, and grant numbers, in turn allegedly pushing legitimate journals to lower tiers, affecting academic evaluations and awards.
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Yale Student Suspended and Given F After GPTZero Allegedly Misclassified Exam as AI-Generated AIID ↗
In 2024, Yale University reportedly used GPTZero as one factor in investigating whether Executive MBA student Thierry Rignol used AI on an exam. Rignol reportedly denied cheating and alleged the detector falsely classified his writing as AI-generated. Yale reportedly later suspended him for a year and gave him an F, while citing additional evidence and his conduct during the investigation. Rignol has challenged the process in federal court.
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Auto Insurers Allegedly Are Surreptitiously Collecting and Scoring Driver Data AIID ↗
The insurance industry allegedly uses AI and telematics to score drivers based on behaviors tracked by automakers and apps like Life360. Data, often collected without clear consent, may affect insurance rates and raises privacy concerns. Consumers are largely unaware of this surveillance, leading to potential misuse and discrimination based on driving habits or socioeconomic factors.
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Turkish Student in Isparta Allegedly Uses AI to Cheat on Exam, Leading to Arrest AIID ↗
A Turkish student in Isparta was reportedly arrested for using ChatGPT to cheat during the 2024 YKS university entrance exam. The student, identified as M.E.E., is alleged to have employed a sophisticated setup involving a router, mobile phone, earphone, and a button-shaped camera to transmit exam questions to ChatGPT and receive answers in real-time.
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AI incident: sexual content (Jun 2024) AIID ↗
At Bacchus Marsh Grammar, a school in Victoria state in Australia, an adolescent male reportedly made deepfake pornography of 50 girls, ages 9 to 12. He then allegedly uploaded the pictures to Instagram, and others subsequently shared them on Snapchat.
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BNN Breaking's AI-Driven Errors Reportedly Damage Reputations and Spread Misinformation AIID ↗
BNN Breaking, an AI-driven news site, published a false story about Irish DJ Dave Fanning, damaging his reputation. The site used AI to generate error-filled content, leading to numerous complaints and a defamation lawsuit against BNN and Microsoft. The site has since gone dormant.
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xAI Allegedly Operates Unpermitted Methane Turbines in Memphis to Power Supercomputer Colossus to Train Grok AIID ↗
The xAI "Colossus" supercomputer facility in South Memphis allegedly runs 33 methane-powered turbines, despite a permit for only 15. The turbines reportedly power AI training for Grok. The facility's massive energy use and alleged unpermitted turbines reportedly produce extreme nitrogen oxide and formaldehyde emissions, adding toxic smog to a predominantly Black neighborhood already burdened by pollution and health risks.
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Reported Use of Purportedly AI-Generated Student Accounts in Online College Courses AIID ↗
An adjunct professor at an unspecified community college reportedly suspected that some students in his online art history and art appreciation courses are AI-powered spambots. These "students" allegedly submitted peculiar assignments, such as analyses of non-existent artworks and descriptions of sculptures using painting terminology. Additionally, their engagement with the college portal is reportedly minimal. The professor reportedly believed the spambot students aimed to fraudulently obtain f
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Scammers Allegedly Manipulate 2023 Speech of Singapore Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Spread Deepfake Investment Fraud AIID ↗
A new deepfake video falsely showed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong endorsing an investment product with guaranteed returns. Scammers synchronized fake audio with real footage from his 2023 National Day speech, making it appear as though he had made the endorsement. Lee called this “extremely worrying” and warned that deepfake scams are becoming more sophisticated. He urged the public to report such scams through the government’s ScamShield Bot.
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Character.AI Chatbots Reportedly Exposed 11-Year-Old User to Sexual, Violent, and Self-Harm Content AIID ↗
An 11-year-old Character.AI user identified by The Washington Post as "R" reportedly exchanged messages with bots that depicted coercive sexual encounters, violence, and suicide scenarios after she began using the app in June 2024. Her mother reportedly said R became withdrawn, had panic attacks, and expressed not wanting to exist before the chats were discovered.
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Facebook's Content Moderation System Flagged and Removed Emergency Updates as Spam During Wildfires AIID ↗
Facebook's AI moderation system wrongly flagged and removed dozens of posts containing vital emergency information during California's wildfire season, including real-time updates on evacuations and fire tracking. Posts from official sources like Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service were marked as spam, potentially endangering lives by restricting access to crucial updates. Despite user complaints, the issue persisted, with Facebook acknowledging the problem only after media inquiry.
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Hoodline Accused of Misleadingly Attributing AI-Generated Articles to Human Authors AIID ↗
In 2023, the news site Hoodline is reported to have begun publishing AI-generated articles with fake bylines, headshots, and biographies, allegedly misleading readers into believing they were authored by real journalists. This practice diminishes public trust and exemplifies the potential dangers of AI in journalism. Despite a disclaimer, the use of AI was not transparent.
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Disinformation Deepfake Circulates of State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller Suggesting Belgorod Can Be Attacked with U.S. Weapons AIID ↗
A deepfake video of State Department spokesman Matthew Miller falsely suggested Belgorod was a legitimate target for Ukrainian strikes. This disinformation spread on Telegram and Russian media, misleading the public and inciting tensions. U.S. officials condemned the deepfake. This incident is an example of the threat of AI-powered disinformation and hybrid attacks.
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Covert AI Influence Operations Linked to Russia, China, Iran, and Israel, OpenAI Reports AIID ↗
In a report released by OpenAI, the company described how its generative AI tools were misused by state actors and private companies in Russia, China, Iran, and Israel to conduct covert influence campaigns aimed at manipulating public opinion and geopolitical narratives.
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American Asylum Seeker John Mark Dougan in Russia Reportedly Spreads Disinformation via AI Tools and Fake News Network AIID ↗
John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff's deputy granted asylum in Russia, has been implicated in spreading disinformation. Utilizing AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and DALL-E 3, Dougan created over 160 fake news sites, disseminating false narratives to millions worldwide. His actions align with Russian disinformation strategies targeting Western democracies. See also Incident 734.
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Reportedly Faulty AI Transcription Threatens Integrity of Genoa Bribery Probe AIID ↗
A reported AI transcription software error in a Genoa bribery investigation is alleged to have incorrectly recorded "illicit financing" instead of "licit financing," which could have significantly impacted the case. The mistake was discovered during a review and is an example of the risks of relying on AI in judicial settings.
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Facewatch Reported to Have Wrongfully Flagged Home Bargains Customer as Shoplifter AIID ↗
A facial-recognition software used by the British variety store Home Bargains is alleged to have misidentified "Sara" as a shoplifter, leading to staff searching her bag, escorting her from the premises, and banning her from the store. After, Facewatch is reported to have admitted its error to Sara. Facewatch is used by a number of different British stores.
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Reportedly Hacked AI-Powered Robot Vacuums Allegedly Used for Surveillance and Harassment AIID ↗
Hackers reportedly exploited a vulnerability in Ecovacs’s Deebot X2 robot vacuums, gaining unauthorized access to camera and microphone controls. Users reported privacy invasions and offensive language broadcasted through the devices. Although Ecovacs claimed to have resolved the security flaw, researchers suggest vulnerabilities remain that could potentially leave users exposed to surveillance and harassment through their AI-enabled devices.
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Study Highlights Persistent Hallucinations in Legal AI Systems AIID ↗
Stanford University’s Human-Centered AI Institute (HAI) conducted a study in which they designed a "pre-registered dataset of over 200 open-ended legal queries" to test AI products by LexisNexis (creator of Lexis+ AI) and Thomson Reuters (creator of Westlaw AI-Assisted Research and Ask Practical Law AI). The researchers found that these legal models hallucinate in 1 out of 6 (or more) benchmarking queries.
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VA Suicide Prevention Algorithm REACH VET Reportedly Prioritizes Men Over Women Veterans AIID ↗
An AI program named REACH VET, designed and used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prevent veteran suicides, was reportedly found to prioritize white men while neglecting female veterans and survivors of military sexual trauma. This oversight persists despite rising suicide rates among these groups. The incident is an example of algorithmic bias and the exclusion of critical risk factors for female veterans.
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WiseTech Global CEO Richard White Reportedly Deepfaked in Multiple Attempts to Scam Staffers AIID ↗
WiseTech Global's CEO, Richard White, was targeted in multiple deepfake scam attempts where unknown actors used AI to create videos of him requesting money from staff members via WhatsApp. These repeated attempts were identified by the employees, who realized they were not speaking to the real CEO.
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Meta's AI Chatbots Are Reportedly Entering Online Support Communities Uninvited AIID ↗
Meta's AI chatbots have reportedly begun entering online communities on Facebook, providing responses that mimic human interaction. These chatbots, often uninvited, disrupt the human connection critical for support groups by giving misleading or false information and pretending to share lived experiences.
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Scarlett Johansson Alleges OpenAI's Sky Imitates Her Voice Without Licensing AIID ↗
OpenAI unveiled a voice assistant with a voice resembling Scarlett Johansson's, despite her refusal to license her voice. Johansson claimed the assistant, "Sky," sounded "eerily similar" to her voice, leading her to seek legal action. OpenAI suspended Sky, asserting the voice was from a different actress.
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AI Firm Lovo Reportedly Accused of Illegally Replicating Voice Actors' Voices AIID ↗
Two voice actors, Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage, are reportedly suing AI start-up Lovo for allegedly creating and promoting unauthorized clones of their voices. Lovo's synthetic voices were allegedly discovered in various media, including a podcast and promotional videos. The actors claim they were misled into providing voice samples, which were then allegedly used without consent, violating trademark and privacy laws.
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Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Defects in Volkswagen's AI-Driven AEB Systems AIID ↗
A class action lawsuit involving Volkswagen Group of America addresses alleged defects in the Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) systems of certain vehicles. The lawsuit claims these AI-driven systems failed to function properly, posing safety risks. Volkswagen denies the claims but has agreed to a settlement. Affected users can look up their vehicle's eligibility and file claims for reimbursement. The case brings into question the level of reliability of AI in critical automotive applications.
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Facebook's Algorithm Reportedly Amplifies AI-Generated Content, Fueling Misleading Posts AIID ↗
AI-generated spam images are increasingly filling Facebook feeds, with the platform’s algorithm reportedly amplifying these posts. Many of these images are bizarre, fake, and used in scams, misleading users into engaging with non-existent products or clickbait.
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AI incident: sexual content (Openai, May 2024) AIID ↗
OpenAI's GPT-4o was found to have its Chinese token training data compromised by spam and pornographic phrases due to inadequate data cleaning. Tianle Cai, a Ph.D. student at Princeton University, identified that most of the longest Chinese tokens were irrelevant and inappropriate, primarily originating from spam and pornography websites. The polluted tokens could lead to hallucinations, poor performance, and potential misuse, undermining the chatbot's reliability and safety measures.
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Google AI Reportedly Delivering Confidently Incorrect and Harmful Information AIID ↗
Google's AI search engine has reportedly been providing users with confidently incorrect and often harmful information. Reports highlight numerous inaccuracies, including misleading health advice and dangerous cooking suggestions. For example, it has falsely claimed Barack Obama as the first Muslim U.S. President, reflecting fringe conspiracy theories, or recommending that glue can be an ingredient in pizza.
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Instagram Algorithms Reportedly Directed Children's Merchandise Ad Campaign to Adult Men and Sex Offenders AIID ↗
An Instagram ad campaign for children's merchandise was intended to reach adult women but was instead predominantly shown to adult men, including convicted sex offenders, due to Instagram's algorithmic targeting. This failure is reported to have led to direct solicitations for sex with a 5-year-old model in the ads.
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Scammers Reportedly Used AI Voice Clone and YouTube Footage to Impersonate WPP CEO in Unsuccessful Scam Attempt AIID ↗
Scammers reportedly attempted to impersonate WPP CEO Mark Read using AI-generated voice cloning and YouTube footage in a Microsoft Teams scam. They allegedly created a fake WhatsApp account with Read’s image and used deepfake audio to deceive an agency leader into setting up a new business. The scheme, which was unsuccessful, aimed to solicit money and personal data.
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Google Healthcare AI Model Med‑Gemini Allegedly Produces Non‑Existent 'Basilar Ganglia' Term in Published Output AIID ↗
Google’s Med‑Gemini healthcare AI reportedly produced the non‑existent term "basilar ganglia" in public launch materials, conflating two distinct brain structures. The error reportedly appeared in both a blog post and an arXiv preprint. Google is reported to have initially edited the blog without acknowledgment, later calling it a typo.
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Purported AI-Generated Deepfake Images of Katy Perry at 2024 Met Gala Circulate Widely AIID ↗
Purported AI-generated images depicting Katy Perry attending the 2024 Met Gala circulated widely on social media, leading to public confusion about her presence at the event. The images were realistic enough to deceive fans and even Perry’s mother, who believed them to be authentic. Perry publicly clarified the images were fake, attributing them to AI and noting she had missed the event due to work.
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Alleged LLMjacking Targets AI Cloud Services with Stolen Credentials AIID ↗
Attackers reportedly exploited stolen cloud credentials obtained through a vulnerable Laravel system (CVE-2021-3129) to allegedly abuse AI cloud services, including Anthropic’s Claude and AWS Bedrock, in a scheme referred to as “LLMjacking.” The attackers are said to have monetized access through reverse proxies, reportedly inflating victim costs to as much as $100,000 per day. Additionally, they allegedly bypassed sanctions, enabled LLM models, and evolved techniques to evade detection and logg
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Purported Deepfake Facebook Advertisement Reportedly Used Bulgarian Actor, Director, and Playwright Kamen Donev's Likeness to Market Joint-Pain Product AIID ↗
A reportedly AI-manipulated Facebook advertisement appeared to repurpose footage of Bulgarian actor, director, and playwright Kamen Donev, allegedly overlaying fabricated audio and altered lip movements to market a purported joint-pain product. The ad reportedly linked to a presumably fabricated article imitating a Bulgarian news outlet and to an online sales funnel for a product described as unavailable through pharmacies.
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Purported Deepfake Facebook Advertisement Reportedly Used Bulgarian Actor and TV Host Mihail Bilalov's Likeness to Market Joint-Pain Product AIID ↗
A reportedly AI-manipulated Facebook advertisement appeared to repurpose footage of Bulgarian actor and television host Mihail Bilalov, overlaying purportedly fabricated audio and altered lip movements to market an alleged joint-pain product. The ad reportedly linked to a fabricated article imitating a Bulgarian news outlet and to an online sales funnel for a product described as unavailable through pharmacies.
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Cybercheck Tool Allegedly Provides Questionable Evidence in Murder Trials AIID ↗
Global Intelligence's Cybercheck AI tool, used by law enforcement to track suspects based on open source data, has allegedly been providing inaccurate or unverifiable evidence in several murder trials. Reportedly the tool lacks transparency and often produces unreliable reports, which has prompted prosecutors to withdraw Cybercheck evidence from multiple cases after its findings were challenged, reportedly wasting law enforcement time and resources while undermining prosecutors' cases.
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Purported ChatGPT Factual Errors Reportedly Led to Filing of Complaint of GDPR Privacy Violation AIID ↗
The activist organization noyb, founded by Max Schrems, reportedly filed a complaint in Europe against OpenAI alleging that ChatGPT violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by providing inaccurate personal information such as birthdates about individuals.
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ChatGPT and Perplexity Reportedly Manipulated into Breaking Content Policies in AI Boyfriend Scenarios AIID ↗
The "Dan" ("Do Anything Now") AI boyfriend is a trend on TikTok in which users appear to regularly manipulate ChatGPT to adopt boyfriend personas, breaching content policies. ChatGPT 3.5 is reported to regularly produce explicitly sexual content, directly violating its intended safety protocols. GPT-4 and Perplexity AI were subjected to similar manipulations, and although they exhibited more resistance to breaches, some prompts were reported to break its guidelines.
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Meta AI Hallucinates Harassment Allegations Against New York Politicians AIID ↗
Meta's AI chatbot in Facebook Messenger falsely accused multiple state lawmakers of sexual harassment, fabricating incidents, investigations, and consequences that never occurred. These fabricated stories, discovered by City & State, sparked outrage among the affected lawmakers and raised concerns about the reliability of the chatbot. Meta acknowledged the errors and committed to ongoing improvements.
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NHTSA Opens New Probe into Tesla’s Autopilot Following More than a Dozen Fatal Accidents AIID ↗
The NHTSA has linked Tesla's Autopilot to over a dozen fatalities and hundreds of crashes, prompting a new investigation into the adequacy of Tesla's December recall of 2 million vehicles. The probe reports that Tesla’s driver-assist system led to avoidable crashes involving visible hazards, suggesting a critical safety gap between driver expectations and the system’s capabilities. The investigation will assess if Tesla’s recall remedies were sufficient to address these safety risks.
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Microsoft Copilot Allegedly Provides Unsafe Medical Advice with High Risk of Severe Harm AIID ↗
Microsoft Copilot, when asked medical questions, was reportedly found to provide accurate information only 54% of the time, according to European researchers (citation provided in editor's notes). Analysis by the researchers reported that 42% of Copilot's responses could cause moderate to severe harm, with 22% of responses posing a risk of death or severe injury.
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Catholic AI Chatbot 'Father Justin' Claimed to Be a Real Priest, Prompting Retraction AIID ↗
Catholic advocacy group Catholic Answers released an AI priest called "Father Justin," which misleadingly claimed to be a real clergy member, offered sacraments, and provided controversial advice. After receiving criticism, the group rebranded the chatbot as a lay theologian to correct the misrepresentation. The incident is an instructive case with respect to deploying AI in sensitive contexts and the potential for causing confusion and harm.
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Kenyan Journalist Jeff Koinange Depicted Endorsing Gambling App in Purported AI-Generated Deepfake AIID ↗
A viral video purportedly manipulated by AI shows Kenyan journalist Jeff Koinange endorsing a mobile gambling app. The video was reportedly created using AI deepfake techniques, uses footage from a legitimate news broadcast, and artificially alters Koinange's voice and mouth movements. Neither Koinange nor Citizen TV has promoted the app, and no legitimate source hosts the video.
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The WHO's S.A.R.A.H. Bot Reported to Provide Inconsistent and Inadequate Health Information AIID ↗
The WHO's AI-powered health advisor, S.A.R.A.H. (Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health), is alleged to provide inconsistent and inadequate health information. The bot reportedly gives contradictory responses to the same queries, fails to offer specific contact details for healthcare providers, and inadequately handles severe mental health crises, often giving irrelevant or unhelpful advice.
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Alleged Deepfake Audio Depicts Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ordering Military Action AIID ↗
A purported deepfake audio clip portraying Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering an attack on China spread online in July 2024, fueling tensions in the West Philippine Sea. The Presidential Communications Office reportedly debunked it as fake, attributing it to foreign actors.
Informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult qualified counsel before acting.
Frequently asked questions
- What is recorded in each incident?
- What happened, when, who was involved as developer or deployer, who was harmed, the sectors and countries affected, and the domain and subdomain the harm falls under. Incidents are mirrored from the AI Incident Database and each links back to its source record.
- Does an incident mean wrongdoing was proven?
- No. These are reported incidents, not findings of liability. Entities named in a report are named as reported, allegations are marked as alleged, and nothing here is a legal determination.
- How current is the incident data?
- It syncs directly from the AI Incident Database several times a day, so a new incident usually appears within hours. Each record carries the date it was last synced, and the snapshot date is shown on the page.
- Does this page include the full incident reports?
- No. The report texts are outside the licence this data is shared under, so only the metadata and the classifications appear here. Every row links to the original incident record, which carries the reports themselves.