MIT AI Risk Repository
Browse AI risks
78 risk entries extracted from 74 frameworks, coded by domain, subdomain, causal entity, intent and timing. Filter, then export the current selection with its licence and citation attached.
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"Stereotyping - Derogatory or otherwise harmful stereotyping or homogenisation of individuals, groups, societies or cultures due to the mis-representation, over-representation, under-representation, or non- representation of specific identities, groups, or perspectives."
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"Discrimination - Unfair or inadequate treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual preference, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, language, or other protected groups."
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"Confidentiality loss - Unauthorised sharing of sensitive, confidential information and documents such as corporate strategy and financial plans with third-parties."
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"Privacy loss - Unwarranted exposure of an individual’s private life or personal data through cyberattacks, doxxing, etc."
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"Historical revisionism - Deliberate or unintentional reinterpretation of established/orthodox historical events or accounts held by societies, communities, academics."
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"Radicalisation - Adoption of extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations due to the nature or misuse of an algorithmic system, potentially resulting in abuse, violence, or terrorism."
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"Information degradation - Creation or spread of false, hallucinatory, low-quality, misleading, or inaccurate information that degrades the information ecosystem and causes people to develop false or inaccurate perceptions, decisions and beliefs; or to lose trust in accurate information."
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"Institutional trust loss - Erosion of trust in public institutions and weakened checks and balances due to mis/disinformation, influence operations, over-dependence on technology, etc."
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"Coercion/manipulation - Use of a technology system to covertly alter user beliefs and behaviour using nudging, dark patterns and/or other opaque techniques, resulting in potential erosion of privacy, addiction, anxiety/distress, etc."
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58.08.00 · Risk Category
"Political and Economic - Manipulation of political beliefs, damage to political institutions and the effective delivery of government services."
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"Electoral interference - Generation of false or misleading information that can interrupt or mislead voters and/or undermine trust in electoral processes."
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"Political manipulation - Use or misuse of personal data to target individuals’ interests, personalities and vulnerabilities with tailored political messages via micro-advertising or deepfakes/synthetic media."
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"Business operations/infrastructure damage - Damage, disruption, or destruction of a business system and/or its components due to malfunction, cyberattacks, etc."
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"Violence/armed conflict - Use or misuse of a technology system to incite, facilitate or conduct cyberattacks, security breaches, lethal, biological and chemical weapons development, resulting in violence and armed conflict."
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"Impersonation/identity theft - Theft of an individual, group or organisation’s identity by a third-party in order to defraud, mock or otherwise harm them."
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"IP/copyright loss - Misuse or abuse of an individual or organisation’s intellectual property, including copyright, trademarks, and patents."
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"Dehumanisation/objectification - Use or misuse of a technology system to depict and/or treat people as not human, less than human, or as objects."
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"Defamation/libel/slander - Use of a technology system to create, facilitate or amplify false perception(s) about an individual, group, or organisation."
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58.05.00 · Risk Category
"Financial and Business - Use or misuse of a technology system in a manner that damages the financial interests of an individual or group, or which causes strategic, operational, legal or financial harm to a business or other organisation.""
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"Cheating/plagiarism - Use of another person’s or group’s words or ideas without consent and/or acknowledgement."
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"Addiction - Emotional or material dependence on technology or a technology system."
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"Alienation/isolation - An individual’s or group’s feeling of lack of connection with those around as a result of technology use or misuse."
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"Over-reliance - Unfettered and/or obsessive belief in the accuracy or other quality of a technology system, resulting in addiction, anxiety, introversion, sentience, complacency, lack of critical thinking and other actual or potential negative impacts."
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"Economic instability - Uncontrolled fluctuations impacting the financial system, or parts thereof, due to the use or misuse of a technology system, or set of systems."
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"Autonomy - Loss of or restrictions to the ability or rights of an individual, group or entity to make decisions and control their identity and/or output."
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"Autonomy/agency loss - Loss of an individual, group or organisation’s ability to make informed decisions or pursue goals."
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"Personality rights loss - Loss of or restrictions to the rights of an individual to control the commercial use of their identity, such as name, image, likeness, or other unequivocal identifiers."
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"Loss of freedom of speech/expression - Restrictions to or loss of people’s right to articulate their opin- ions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction."
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58.06.05 · Risk Sub-Category
Human rights and civil liberties
Loss of freedom of assembly/association
"Loss of freedom of assembly/association - Restrictions to or loss of people’s right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ideas, and/or to join an association."
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58.06.06 · Risk Sub-Category
Human rights and civil liberties
Loss of social rights and access to public services
"Loss of social rights and access to public services - Restrictions to or loss of rights to work, social secu- rity, and adequate standard of living, housing, health and education."
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"Loss of right to information - Restrictions to or loss of people’s right to seek, receive and impart information held by public bodies."
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"Loss of right to free elections - Restrictions to or loss of people’s right to participate in free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot."
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"Loss of right to liberty and security - Restrictions to or loss of liberty as a result of illegal or arbitrary arrest or false imprisonment."
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"Loss of right to due process - Restrictions to or loss of right to be treated fairly, efficiently and effectively by the administration of justice."
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58.07.00 · Risk Category
"Societal and Cultural - Harms affecting the functioning of societies, communities and economies caused directly or indirectly by the use or misuse technology systems."
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"Monopolisation - Abuse of market power through the control of prices, thereby limiting competition and creating unfair barriers to entry."
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"Power concentration - Amplification of concentration of economic and/or political wealth and power, potentially resulting in increased inequality and instability."
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"Job loss/losses - Replacement/displacement of human jobs by a technology system, leading to increased unemployment, inequality, reduced consumer spending, and social friction."
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"Labour exploitation - Use of under-paid and/or offshore labour to develop, manage or optimise a technology system."
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"Societal destabilisation - Societal instability in the form of strikes, demonstrations and other types of civil unrest caused by loss of jobs to technology, unfair algorithmic outcomes, disinformation, etc."
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"Societal inequality - Increased difference in social status or wealth between individuals or groups caused or amplified by a technology system, leading to the loss of social and community wellbeing/cohesion and destabilisation."
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"Political instability - Political polarisation or unrest caused by increased inequality, job losses, over- dependence on technology making societies vulnerable to systemic failures, etc, arising from or amplified by the use or misuse of a technology system."
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"Cultural dispossession - Intentional and/or unintentional erasure of cultural goods and values, such as ways of speaking, expressing humour, or sounds and voices that contribute to a cultural identity, or their inappropriate re-use in other cultures."
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"Loss of creativity/critical thinking - Devaluation and/or deterioration of human creativity, artistic ex- pression, imagination, critical thinking or problem-solving skills."
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"Increased competition - The inappropriate or unethical use of technology to gain market share."
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58.09.00 · Risk Category
"Environmental - Damage to the environment directly or indirectly caused by a technology system or set of systems."
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"Biodiversity loss - Over-expansion of technology infrastructure, or inadequate alignment of technology with sustainable practices, leading to deforestation, habitat destruction, and fragmentation and loss of biodiversity."
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"Carbon emissions - Release of carbon dioxide, nitric oxide and other gases, increasing carbon emissions, exacerbating climate change, and negatively impacting local communities."
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"Electronic waste - Electrical or electronic equipment that is waste, including all components, sub-assemblies and consumables that are part of the equipment at the time the equipment becomes waste"
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"Excessive energy consumption - Excessive energy use, leading to energy bottlenecks and shortages for communities, organisations, and businesses."
Informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult qualified counsel before acting.