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.
Filter incidents (1 active)
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AI-Generated Fake 'True Crime' Video About Non-Existent Littleton Murder Goes Viral AIID ↗
An AI-generated "true crime" video on YouTube falsely depicted a Littleton man's "secret gay love affair" and murder by his stepson. The 25-minute video, which garnered nearly 2 million views, fabricated details and used deepfake technology to deceive viewers into believing the story was real. Despite being flagged as false by local authorities and lacking credible sources, the video sparked widespread misinformation and outrage online.
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SearchGPT Reportedly Misleads Users with Incorrect Festival Dates in Demo AIID ↗
OpenAI’s prototype AI tool, SearchGPT, provided incorrect dates for An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, North Carolina during a demonstration video. The AI listed dates that were incorrect, potentially misleading users planning to attend the event, but also harming the reputation of OpenAI as the incident occurred during a high-profile event.
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AI Chatbots Reportedly Inaccurately Conveyed Real-Time Political News AIID ↗
Over a week of back-to-back, significant breaking political news stories, including the Trump rally shooting and Biden’s campaign withdrawal, AI chatbots reportedly failed to provide accurate real-time updates. Most chatbots gave incorrect or outdated information, demonstrating their current limitations in handling fast-paced news. These incidents suggest the continuing need for improved AI capabilities and caution in their deployment for real-time news dissemination.
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False Election Data on Kamala Harris Reportedly Circulated via Grok AI Chatbot AIID ↗
After President Joe Biden stepped aside as a presidential candidate on July 21, 2024, the AI chatbot Grok on X reportedly falsely informed users that Vice President Kamala Harris missed the ballot deadline in nine states. This misinformation, which spread widely on social media, prompted secretaries of state from five U.S. states to urge Elon Musk to address the problem.
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Grok AI Model Reportedly Fails to Produce Reliable News in Wake of Trump Assassination Attempt AIID ↗
xAI's model Grok, intended to automate news delivery on the X platform, is reported to have struggled to provide accurate information during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Grok apparently issued incorrect headlines, including false reports about Vice President Kamala Harris being shot and misidentifying the alleged shooter. These errors show the pitfalls of relying on AI for real-time news aggregation, as it allegedly amplified unverified claims and failed to recog
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AI-Generated Obituaries Are Reportedly Intensifying Grief for Bereaved Families AIID ↗
AI-generated obituaries on various websites are reported to have compounded the grief of bereaved families by spreading incorrect and unauthorized information about their loved ones. These obituaries, produced without the families' knowledge, often contain errors and appear on ad-filled sites, exacerbating the emotional distress of the grieving process.
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Cody Enterprise Reporter Resigns After Admitting to AI-Generated Fake Quotes AIID ↗
A reporter at the Cody Enterprise used AI to generate fake quotes and stories, including fabricating statements from Wyoming’s governor and other officials. The misuse of AI was uncovered when another journalist noticed robotic phrases and false information in the articles. The reporter resigned, and the newspaper is now implementing policies to prevent future incidents.
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AI Work Assistants Require More Effort Than Expected, CIOs Say AIID ↗
AI work assistants, such as Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Gemini for Google Workspace, are proving to be more labor-intensive than anticipated for enterprises. CIOs report that these AI tools struggle with outdated or inaccurate data, leading to incorrect outputs. Companies are finding they must invest heavily in data management to ensure reliability. This added effort has led to delays in deployment and frustration, as businesses work to maximize the potential of these expensive AI tools.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Purported Error by Grok Reportedly Misrepresents Basketball Slang as Criminal Allegation Against NBA Player AIID ↗
X's Grok AI bot reportedly generated a trending story falsely claiming that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson was under investigation for vandalizing homes with bricks in Sacramento. The alleged fabrication appeared after Grok reportedly misinterpreted posts describing Thompson "shooting bricks" during a basketball game. The story reportedly ranked #5 briefly on X's trending list.
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Grok AI on X Created and Promoted False Iran Missile Strike News AIID ↗
On April 4, 2024, X's AI chatbot Grok generated a false headline claiming "Iran Strikes Tel Aviv with Heavy Missiles," which was then promoted on X's trending news section. This misinformation, fueled by user spamming of fake news, falsely indicated a serious international conflict. The incident highlighted significant risks associated with relying on AI for content curation and demonstrated the potential for widespread dissemination of harmful misinformation.
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Google Books Appears to Be Indexing Works Written by AI AIID ↗
Google Books is indexing low-quality, AI-generated books, degrading its database and potentially distorting Google Ngram Viewer's analysis of language trends. This integration of inaccurate or misleading information undermines trust, disseminates poor-quality content, and wastes resources as researchers must spend time clearing up the misinformation.
Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer 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.