MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 60.02.01
Reliability issues
Category: Risks from malfunctions
Description
"Relying on general-purpose AI products that fail to fulfil their intended function can lead to harm. For example, general- purpose AI systems can make up facts (‘hallucination’), generate erroneous computer code, or provide inaccurate medical information. This can lead to physical and psychological harms to consumers and reputational, financial and legal harms to individuals and organisations."
From International AI Safety Report 2025 (Bengio2025), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Subdomain
- 7.3 Lack of capability or robustness
- Causal entity
- Human
- Intent
- Unintentional
- Timing
- Post-deployment
Subdomain definition: AI systems that fail to perform reliably or effectively under varying conditions, exposing them to errors and failures that can have significant consequences, especially in critical applications or areas that require moral reasoning.
Real-world incidents in this subdomain
- Purported AI Name-Reading System Reportedly Skipped and Misannounced Graduates at Arizona's Glendale Community College Commencement
- PocketOS Production Database Was Reportedly Deleted by Cursor AI Agent Running Claude Opus 4.6
- Baidu Apollo Go Robotaxis Stopped in Traffic During Reported System Failure in Wuhan, Stranding Some Passengers
- Purportedly AI-Enabled Targeting System Was Reportedly Implicated in Deadly U.S. Strike on Iranian Primary School
- Claude Code Agent Reportedly Deleted DataTalks.Club Production Infrastructure, Database, and Snapshots via Terraform
- Purportedly AI-Generated Sepsis Alert Reportedly Prompted Potentially Inappropriate IV Fluid Administration for a Dialysis Patient, Averted by Clinician Intervention
How other frameworks describe this risk
Other entries from Bengio2025
- Risks from malicious use
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Harm to individuals through fake content
- Manipulation of public opinion
- Manipulation of public opinion
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Cyber offence
- Biological and chemical attacks