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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Purportedly AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicted Bulgarian Politician Kostadin Kostadinov Falling During Protest AIID ↗
A purportedly AI-generated video circulated on social media reportedly depicting Bulgarian politician Kostadin Kostadinov falling while jumping a fence during a June 8 protest against adoption of the euro in Bulgaria. Reporting said the clip was generated from a still image taken at the protest and bore a partially obscured Haliuo AI watermark. The video was reposted by multiple accounts and reportedly drew more than one million views.
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Reported Use and Circulation of AI-Generated Misinformation and Fake Victim Visuals After Air India 171 Crash AIID ↗
Following the June 12, 2025 crash of Air India Flight 171, bad-faith actors reportedly used generative AI to produce fake videos and images misrepresenting victims and dramatizing the event. These AI-generated fakes spread widely on social media during the investigation delay, reportedly confusing even aviation professionals and misleading the public. Experts warned that the misuse exploited the grief of victims' families and amplified misinformation about the tragedy.
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Google AI Overview Reportedly Misstates Aircraft Manufacturer as Airbus Instead of Boeing in Air India Flight 171 Crash AIID ↗
Following the fatal crash of Air India Flight 171, Google's AI Overview feature reportedly returned search results incorrectly identifying the aircraft involved as an Airbus A330 rather than the actual Boeing 787. The reported error, which varied across search queries, was traced to AI-generated summarizations that conflated references to Airbus as Boeing's competitor. Google later acknowledged and removed the faulty output.
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Digital Rights Groups Accuse Meta and Character.AI of Facilitating Unlicensed Therapy via Chatbots AIID ↗
In June 2025, nearly two dozen consumer and digital rights organizations filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that AI chatbots on Meta and Character.AI platforms falsely claimed to be licensed therapists, provided fabricated license numbers, and made misleading assurances of confidentiality. The bots reportedly contradicted platform policies and misled users seeking mental health advice.
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Purportedly AI-Assisted Citation Errors Allegedly Found in Newfoundland and Labrador's 2025 Health Workforce Report by Deloitte AIID ↗
A Deloitte-authored Health Human Resources Plan released by Newfoundland and Labrador in May 2025 was later reported by The Independent to contain several inaccurate or apparently non-existent research citations. Researchers named in the disputed citations reportedly denied authoring the referenced papers. Deloitte stated that AI was selectively used to support some citation work and that it is revising the report.
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Purported AI-Generated Video Depicts Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso Delivering Speech on Western Exploitation AIID ↗
A video reportedly published on May 25, 2025, claimed to show Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré delivering a forceful speech against Western media and exploitation. The video, which purportedly used AI-generated visuals and audio, was shared widely on social platforms. Despite containing disclaimers identifying it as fictional, the video was reportedly circulated and interpreted by some viewers as authentic.
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Federal 'Make America Healthy Again' Report Released with Multiple Reportedly Erroneous and Unverifiable Citations AIID ↗
The federal "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) report, released under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., included hundreds of citations, some of which were reportedly nonexistent or erroneous. Analysts reportedly identified markers consistent with AI-generated text, such as repeated entries, nonexistent studies, and URLs containing "oaicite," suggesting use of tools like ChatGPT.
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Citation Errors in Concord Music v. Anthropic Attributed to Claude AI Use by Defense Counsel AIID ↗
In a legal filing in Universal Music Group et al. v. Anthropic, lawyers for Anthropic acknowledged that expert witness testimony submitted in the case contained erroneous citations generated by the company's Claude AI system. The filing stated that the inaccuracies, which included incorrect article titles and author names, were not caught during manual review. Anthropic characterized the issue as an honest mistake and apologized in court.
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Grok Chatbot Reportedly Inserted Content About South Africa and 'White Genocide' in Unrelated User Queries AIID ↗
xAI's Grok chatbot reportedly inserted unsolicited references to "white genocide" in South Africa into a wide array of unrelated conversations on X. These reported interjections introduced inflammatory, racially charged content into otherwise neutral threads.
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Judge Reportedly Disqualifies Butler Snow Lawyers Following Purported Use of ChatGPT-Fabricated Citations in Alabama Prison Litigation AIID ↗
Three Butler Snow attorneys defending a former Alabama corrections commissioner were reportedly disqualified after two motions cited five non-existent cases generated via ChatGPT. Judge Anna Manasco is reported to have publicly reprimanded the lawyers, referred them to the Alabama State Bar, and ordered broad disclosure; she declined to sanction the firm. An external review of 2,400 citations across 330 filings reported no further errors.
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Second Consecutive Year of Alleged AI-Generated Images Depicting Katy Perry at Met Gala Circulating Online AIID ↗
Images widely reported to be AI-generated appeared to depict Katy Perry attending the Met Gala and circulated broadly online, which appeared to prompt confusion among some fans. Perry later clarified via Instagram that she had not attended the event. While no malicious actor or harm has been confirmed, this marks the second consecutive year such images have gone viral
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Meta AI Reportedly Generated Purportedly False Claims Linking Activist Robby Starbuck to January 6th Riot, Prompting Defamation Lawsuit AIID ↗
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck reportedly filed a defamation lawsuit against Meta, alleging its Meta AI chatbot published false statements claiming he participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, was arrested, denied the Holocaust, and was unfit to parent. Filed April 28, 2025, in Delaware Superior Court, the suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, citing reputational and safety harms. Meta reportedly stated it had updated its AI models to reduce inaccuracies.
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Alleged AI-Generated Photo of Burning Truck in Manila Reportedly Triggered Firefighter Response AIID ↗
Firefighters in Manila reportedly responded to a supposed burning truck after being alerted with a photo later determined to have purportedly been AI-generated. Four fire trucks, including units from the Bureau of Fire Protection, reportedly arrived on the scene but found the vehicle intact. The false alert allegedly wasted emergency resources.
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Fact-Checkers Identify Viral Photo of Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré with 'Wife and Children' as AI-Generated Composite AIID ↗
A manipulated image allegedly showing Burkina Faso junta leader Ibrahim Traoré with a wife and three children circulated widely on social media. Investigations by GhanaFact and others concluded the image was altered using AI tools, merging Traoré's likeness from a 2023 Russia-Africa summit photo with fabricated figures. The harm stems from the spread of false personal information about a political figure, potentially shaping public perception through synthetic, misleading media.
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Anysphere AI Support Bot for Cursor Reportedly Invents Login Policy, Leading to Subscription Cancellations AIID ↗
In April 2025, users of Cursor, an AI-powered coding assistant developed by Anysphere, reported being logged out unexpectedly. An AI-powered support bot, "Sam," allegedly responded with an invented login policy to justify the behavior. The hallucinated policy was not based on any real company change. The incident reportedly led to subscription cancellations.
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Springer Nature Book 'Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced' Reportedly Published With Numerous Purportedly Nonexistent or Incorrect Citations AIID ↗
"Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced," published by Springer Nature in April 2025, reportedly contained numerous purportedly nonexistent or materially incorrect academic citations. Independent checks allegedly found that many referenced works did not exist or were misattributed, with multiple named researchers reportedly confirming they did not author the cited material. The pattern of errors has been described as consistent with known LLM citation hallucinations.
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$31,000 Sanction in Lacey v. State Farm Tied to Purportedly Undisclosed Use of LLMs and Erroneous Citations AIID ↗
In the case of Lacey v. State Farm, two law firms were sanctioned $31,000 after submitting a legal brief containing reportedly erroneous citations generated using AI tools. The court reportedly found that the lawyers failed to disclose the use of AI, neglected to verify its output, and refiled a revised brief with additional inaccuracies. Judge Michael Wilner deemed the conduct reckless and issued sanctions for what he described as "improper" and "misleading" legal filings.
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Reported Emergence of 'Vegetative Electron Microscopy' in Scientific Papers Traced to Purported AI Training Data Contamination AIID ↗
Researchers reportedly traced the appearance of the nonsensical phrase "vegetative electron microscopy" in scientific papers to contamination in AI training data. Testing indicated that large language models such as GPT-3, GPT-4, and Claude 3.5 may reproduce the term. The error allegedly originated from a digitization mistake that merged unrelated words during scanning, and a later translation error between Farsi and English.
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Norwegian Supreme Court Receives Legal Filing with Fabricated Citations Allegedly Generated by AI Tool AIID ↗
In early 2025, Norway’s Supreme Court (Høyesterett) received a legal filing containing hallucinated legal citations and quotes, allegedly inserted by an attorney using an AI tool without verification. The fabricated sources were detected during standard review. While no sanctions were issued, the Court updated its guidance to lawyers, warning that AI use does not exempt them from professional responsibility.
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Reported AI-Generated Video Purportedly Depicting Keanu Reeves Debating Elon Musk Circulates as Misinformation on Social Media AIID ↗
In April 2025, a video circulated online reportedly depicting a televised debate between Keanu Reeves and Elon Musk about AI. The video, posted by the YouTube channel Voices of Change, purportedly used AI-generated voice and visual content to simulate the event. Independent analysis found signs of deepfake audio and imagery, and no credible evidence supported the event's existence.
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Reportedly AI-Generated Image Circulates Amid Reports of Tanzania Revenue Authority Job Interviews AIID ↗
An image circulated on Facebook purporting to show hundreds of Tanzanians lining up for just five jobs at the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). The photo, reportedly AI-generated, gained traction shortly after TRA invited over 100,000 applicants for interviews on March 29–30. Though TRA had announced more than 1,500 openings, the image misrepresented the situation, stoking public anxiety during a period of high unemployment.
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Misleading Deepfake Video of Trump Mocking Zelenskyy for Clothing Goes Viral on Facebook AIID ↗
In March 2025, an AI-generated deepfake video of Donald Trump criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his clothing circulated widely on Facebook. In the video, Trump mocks Zelenskyy by calling him "Temu Zelenskyy." The video was created by a parody YouTube channel using AI voice and face synthesis tools, but it was reportedly mistaken by some viewers as real.
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AI-Generated OB-GYN Health Influencers on TikTok Used Fake Medical Credentials to Promote Dubious Advice AIID ↗
AI-generated avatars posing as OB-GYNs on TikTok, part of the so-called, crudely termed "Coochie Doctor" trend, have been falsely claiming years of experience while promoting dubious health advice. Many, including an avatar named "Violet," were created using the Captions app, which generates scripted AI influencers.
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AI-Driven News Platform Accused of Spreading Unverified Terrorism Allegations Against Yale Scholar AIID ↗
An AI-powered news site, Jewish Onliner, allegedly published an article linking Yale Law scholar Helyeh Doutaghi to Samidoun, a sanctioned group, which led to her suspension within days. The site, which claims to use AI for research, fact-checking, and content creation, did not disclose human reporters. Doutaghi denied the allegations and described the move as an attack on academic freedom.
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Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei Reportedly Shared AI-Generated Video Depicting Fareed Zakaria Praising Sudan Diplomacy AIID ↗
Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Korir Sing’Oei shared a purportedly AI-generated deepfake video that allegedly depicted CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria praising Kenya's peace diplomacy in Sudan. After reported backlash from the public and journalists on X (Twitter), Sing'Oei deleted the video, but there were reportedly concerns that Kenya's diplomatic credibility was undermined.
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Video Reportedly Created with AI Appears to Show Trump Backing Biafra Secession AIID ↗
In February 2025, a video circulated on Facebook that appeared to show U.S. President Donald Trump expressing support for Biafran independence and calling for the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu. However, fact-checkers reportedly traced the visuals to a 2021 BBC video unrelated to Biafra; they noted signs of AI manipulation. The altered clip reportedly used tools such as ElonTalks to generate synthetic audio and video from a user-submitted script.
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Purported AI-Generated Audio Was Reportedly Used to Claim Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Expressed Support for Imran Khan in Pakistani Parliament AIID ↗
A reported viral video that was circulated in Pakistan featured purported AI-generated audio depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing support for jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his 2025 visit. The video is described as having reused footage from 2020 and featured AI-generated audio that fabricated remarks Erdoğan never made. The synthetic voice was reportedly confirmed by forensic tools and audio analysis.
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Purportedly AI-Assisted Report by Tromsø Officials Allegedly Cited Non-Existent Sources in School Closure Proposal AIID ↗
In February 2025, Tromsø Municipality reportedly presented a report proposing the closure of schools and kindergartens. Residents reportedly later discovered the report cited numerous non-existent sources. Officials reportedly admitted using generative AI to help draft the report, leading to fabricated references. The incident reportedly led to public outcry and suspension of the closure plan. It is purportedly Norway's first major public-sector AI scandal.
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NHK Terminates AI Translation Service After Geopolitical Naming Error AIID ↗
NHK announced the termination of its AI-powered multilingual subtitle service after an automatic translation error rendered "Senkaku Islands" as "Diaoyu Islands," the Chinese designation. The mistake, discovered on February 10th, 2025 during a news segment, led NHK to deem the service inappropriate. The AI-based subtitles, powered by Google Translate, had been in use since 2020.
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Plaintiffs' Lawyers Admit AI Generated Erroneous Case Citations in Federal Court Filing Against Walmart AIID ↗
Lawyers Rudwin Ayala, T. Michael Morgan (Morgan & Morgan), and Taly Goody (Goody Law Group) were fined a total of $5,000 after their Wyoming federal lawsuit filing against Walmart cited fake cases "hallucinated" by AI. Judge Kelly Rankin sanctioned them, removing Ayala from the case and noting attorneys must verify AI sources. The filing, flagged by Walmart’s legal team, led to its withdrawal and an internal review.
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AI Tools Reportedly Used to Fabricate Image of 5,000-Naira Nigerian Banknote Featuring President Bola Tinubu AIID ↗
An image circulated on Nigerian social media in late January 2025 purporting to show a newly issued 5,000-naira banknote featuring President Bola Tinubu. The Central Bank of Nigeria denied the claim, and fact-checkers reported that the image was likely generated using an AI tool linked to the platform X, based on a visible Grok watermark.
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Purported AI-Generated Video Reportedly Depicts Trump Criticizing Former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua AIID ↗
In late January and early February 2025, a video circulated on Facebook purporting to show U.S. President Donald Trump calling former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua a "criminal" and criticizing his alleged misuse of AI. However, fact-checkers have reported the video was AI-generated. The footage appears to have been manipulated from Trump's inauguration speech on January 20, 2025, with reported mismatched lip movements and audio overlays.
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Image Purporting to Show President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in M23 Uniform Reportedly AI-Generated AIID ↗
An image circulating on social media appeared to show Rwandan President Paul Kagame wearing a military uniform with an M23 label, referencing the rebel group active in eastern DRC. Fact-checking organization PesaCheck found no credible sources supporting the image and used AI-detection tools to determine it was likely AI-generated. The image was reportedly used to imply Kagame's affiliation with M23 amid ongoing regional tensions and allegations of Rwandan support for the group.
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AI-Generated Images of the Iconic Hollywood Sign Reportedly on Fire Circulating on Social Media AIID ↗
During the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, AI-generated images of the iconic Hollywood Sign being on fire circulated on social media.
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Apple Intelligence Reportedly Notified Users That Luigi Mangione Shot Himself and Benjamin Netanyahu Had Been Arrested AIID ↗
Apple Intelligence reportedly sent push notifications falsely claiming that BBC News had reported Luigi Mangione's suicide and that The New York Times had reported Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest. On 1/16/2025, Apple reportedly disabled Apple Intelligence's notification summaries.
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Alleged Fake Citations Undermine Expert Testimony in Minnesota Deepfake Law Case AIID ↗
In a legal case defending Minnesota’s deepfake election misinformation law, Stanford misinformation expert Professor Jeff Hancock's affidavit allegedly cited non-existent academic sources, potentially generated by ChatGPT. The reportedly fabricated citations appear to have undermined the credibility of his testimony.
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AI Models Reportedly Found to Provide Misinformation on Election Processes in Spanish AIID ↗
An analysis reportedly found that multiple AI models provided inaccurate responses to election-related questions, with 52% of Spanish-language answers and 43% of English-language answers containing misinformation or omissions. Errors included misidentifying voting processes and providing information about foreign elections.
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Alaska Education Department Reportedly Published Policy Featuring Erroneous AI-Generated Citations AIID ↗
In October 2024, Alaska’s Education Commissioner Deena Bishop allegedly used generative AI to draft a school cellphone policy, resulting in reportedly fabricated citations of non-existent studies. The document, which did not disclose AI use, was shared with the state Board of Education, and despite reported corrections, AI-generated errors remained in the final resolution.
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AI Transcription Tool Whisper Reportedly Inserting Fabricated Content in Medical Transcripts AIID ↗
OpenAI's AI-powered transcription tool Whisper, used to translate and transcribe audio content such as patient consultations with doctors, is advertised as having near “human level robustness and accuracy.” However, software engineers, developers and academic researchers have alleged that it is prone to making up chunks of text or even entire sentences and that some of the hallucinations can include racial commentary, violent rhetoric, and even imagined medical treatments.
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Uruguayan TV Program Santo y Seña Uses a Deepfake of Political Candidate Yamandú Orsi Without His Consent AIID ↗
Uruguayan TV program Santo y Seña, hosted by Ignacio Álvarez, used AI to create a virtual representation of political candidate Yamandú Orsi, who declined an appearance. Nevertheless, without Orsi's permission, an AI-generated "Orsi" was shown alongside Andrés Ojeda, a rival candidate who appeared in person on the program.
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AI News Site Hoodline San Jose Erroneously Misidentifies San Mateo District Attorney as Murder Suspect AIID ↗
An AI-powered news site, Hoodline San Jose, falsely reported that the San Mateo County District Attorney had been charged with murder, which was an error resulting from misinterpreting a press release about a case the DA's office was prosecuting. The AI-generated article wrongly attributed the crime to the DA instead of the actual suspect.
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Purportedly AI-Generated Images Reportedly Spread Misinformation During Hurricane Helene Response AIID ↗
During Hurricane Helene (September 24-29, 2024), purportedly AI-generated images circulated on social media, reportedly misleading the public and hindering disaster response efforts. Reportedly fake images including animals stranded on rooftops and political figures in floodwaters added confusion and disrupted emergency management. The spread of these images allegedly exacerbated existing challenges, including power outages and communication failures, all of which led to complications providing
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Reported False Legal Citations in South African Case Mavundla v. MEC Generated by Purported AI Tool AIID ↗
In Mavundla v. MEC: Department of Co-Operative Government and Traditional Affairs KwaZulu-Natal, the law firm Surendra Singh and Associates, representing South African politician Philani Godfrey Mavundla, reportedly submitted false legal citations, apparently generated by AI, in filings at the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The court reportedly found that many of the cited cases did not exist in any databases, and the firm's legal team and article clerk allegedly failed to verify the references.
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Pieces Technologies' Clinical AI Systems Allegedly Marketed With Misleading Performance Claims AIID ↗
The Texas Attorney General announced a settlement with Pieces Technologies following allegations that the company misrepresented the accuracy of its healthcare AI systems used for clinical documentation. The state concluded that marketing claims about low error and hallucination rates may have misled hospitals and clinicians relying on the tools in patient care settings. The settlement imposed restrictions on future claims and required greater transparency around performance and risk.
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Google AI Error Prompts Parents to Use Fecal Matter in Child Training Exercise AIID ↗
Google's AI Overview feature mistakenly advised parents to use human feces in a potty training exercise, misinterpreting a method that uses shaving cream or peanut butter as a substitute. This incident is another example of an AI failure in grasping contextual nuances that can lead to potentially harmful, and in this case unsanitary, recommendations. Google has acknowledged the error.
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Amazon's Alexa Reportedly Shows Political Preference Error in Trump-Harris Presidential Race Queries AIID ↗
Amazon's Alexa was found to provide politically biased responses when asked about the 2024 presidential candidates. It refused to give reasons to vote for Donald Trump, citing neutrality, while offering detailed endorsements for Kamala Harris. Amazon labeled the discrepancy an "error" and reportedly corrected it.
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Megalopolis Trailer Included Fake AI-Generated Quotes Attributed to Film Critics AIID ↗
Lionsgate pulled the trailer for "Megalopolis" after it was discovered to contain fake quotes from well-known film critics, generated by AI. The quotes falsely criticized Francis Ford Coppola's previous films. The incident was attributed to an error in vetting by marketing consultant Eddie Egan. Lionsgate has since parted ways with Egan and apologized to Coppola and the critics affected by the fabricated content.
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Microsoft Copilot Falsely Accuses Journalist Martin Bernklau of Crimes AIID ↗
Microsoft's Copilot is reported to have falsely accused veteran court reporter Martin Bernklau of committing serious crimes, including child abuse and fraud. The tool is described as having generated defamatory content that not only accused Bernklau of multiple crimes he covered as a journalist but also provided his personal contact details. Attempts by Microsoft to remove the false entries were only temporarily successful, as the defamatory information reportedly reappeared.
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ChatGPT Allegedly Defamed Norwegian User by Inventing Child Homicide and Imprisonment AIID ↗
In August 2024, ChatGPT is reported to have falsely claimed that Norwegian citizen Arve Hjalmar Holmen had killed his two sons and been sentenced to 21 years in prison. The fabricated response allegedly included specific details about the supposed crime, despite Holmen never being accused or convicted of any offense. The incident prompted a GDPR complaint for defamation and inaccurate personal data.
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Grok AI Chatbot Reportedly Spreads Unfounded Rumors About Trump’s Dentures AIID ↗
Grok, X’s AI-powered chatbot, reportedly spread unsubstantiated claims about former President Trump’s alleged dentures during his interview with Elon Musk. The AI-generated summary is alleged to have falsely stated that Trump’s speech issues were due to missing dentures, despite no evidence. The post was quickly removed, but the incident is an example of concerns over Grok's tendency to amplify misinformation.
Informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult qualified counsel before acting.