{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T09:23:05.644Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"australia","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":6,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-sydney-fair-work-commission-upholds-software-developers-dismissal-finding-reliance-on-ai-drafted-emails-led-to-it","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'from 8 October 2013 to 7 August 2025. He was employed as a Senior Java Developer. He was dismissed for serious misconduct.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the Fair Work Commission's decision, the applicant was employed by Fujifilm Data Management Solutions as a Senior Java Developer from 8 October 2013 to 7 August 2025 and was dismissed for serious misconduct.","causal_attribution":"The decision's statement of undisputed background."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'he relied upon an artificial intelligence large language model (AI)'; 'emails were generated by AI.'; 'appeared to be referring to Chat GPT for guidance when responding to management comments'; 'He described his use of AI as a process of collaboration.'; 'He accepted ultimate responsibility for what was contained in all communications.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He later admitted drafting them with AI assistance, and colleagues observed him consulting what appeared to be ChatGPT during meetings.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Commission recorded that the applicant agreed he relied on an artificial intelligence large language model in preparing his many emails to managers, found that drafts of the emails were generated by AI, and recorded unchallenged evidence from managers that he appeared to consult ChatGPT on his phone during meetings; the applicant described his use of AI as collaboration and accepted responsibility for the communications.","causal_attribution":"The tribunal's own findings and its record of the applicant's admission; HCAMag relays the same decision."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'The signs of this included that they were often needlessly detailed, many were written in a combative and demanding tone that was inappropriate for communications in a workplace setting'; 'The emails were inappropriate. They were disproportionate to the matters being dealt with. They lacked any reasonable regard to purpose or context. They lacked nuance.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Commission found the emails inappropriate: often needlessly detailed and written in a combative and demanding tone, disproportionate to the matters being dealt with, lacking regard to purpose or context, and lacking nuance.","causal_attribution":"Findings of the tribunal."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'use of AI was unfortunate. It was counterproductive. It led to his demise.'; 'The communications it produced were dense, repetitive and often rambling. They were demanding and overbearing.'; 'a false sense of security that his communications, laden as they were with allegations of impropriety by his managers and demands for corrective action, were appropriate and acceptable in a workplace setting. Objectively, they were not.'; 'use of AI as an explanation for his conduct.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Commission found the applicant's use of AI 'counterproductive' and that it 'led to his demise', that the communications it produced were 'dense, repetitive and often rambling' and 'demanding and overbearing', and that the AI use appeared to give him a false sense of security that the communications were acceptable; because he took responsibility for them, it did not treat the AI use as an explanation for his conduct.","causal_attribution":"The tribunal's causal assessment of the AI use, stated in its own words; it is the tribunal's finding, not an independent technical analysis."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'SYDNEY, 18 MARCH 2026'; 'dismissal was not harsh, unjust or unreasonable'; 'had become ungovernable. His communications with his employer were inappropriate.'; 'and the dismissal has forced him to retire'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On 18 March 2026 the Commission found the dismissal was not harsh, unjust or unreasonable, accepting the employer's description that the applicant had become 'ungovernable', and dismissed his unfair dismissal application; it treated his long service and his statement that the dismissal had forced him to retire as factors in his favour.","causal_attribution":"The decision's conclusion."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'BRISBANE, 2 JULY 2026'; 'permission to appeal is refused.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 2 July 2026 a Full Bench of the Commission refused permission to appeal against the decision.","causal_attribution":"The appeal decision."}],"effects":[{"label":"dismissal upheld and unfair dismissal claim dismissed; tribunal found the AI use led to the dismissal","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwc835.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-21: the Fair Work Commission's published decision [2026] FWC 835 (Deputy President, Sydney, 18 March 2026), PDF from fwc.gov.au (HTTP 200), text extracted with pdftotext; whole decision available and the background, 'The use of AI' section and conclusion were read.","independence_group":"fwc-2026-fwc-835-decision"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwcfb159.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-21: Full Bench decision [2026] FWCFB 159 (2 July 2026) refusing permission to appeal against [2026] FWC 835, PDF from fwc.gov.au (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"fwc-2026-fwcfb-159-appeal"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/fujifilm-workers-ai-powered-grievance-campaign-ends-in-dismissal/569369","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-21 (HTTP 200). HRD Australia (HCAMag) report published 23 March 2026 summarising [2026] FWC 835; it relays the decision, so it shares the decision's independence group.","independence_group":"fwc-2026-fwc-835-decision"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["work","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI product or products the employee used to draft the emails; the managers only believed it appeared to be ChatGPT.","Which of the listed emails were AI-drafted and to what extent he edited them."],"geography":{"basis":"The employer is an Australian company, the decision was made by the Fair Work Commission in Sydney under the Fair Work Act 2009, and the employment and dismissal were dealt with under Australian law. His residence is not stated.","court_countries":["AU"],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published on the Fair Work Commission's own findings: drafts of a dismissed developer's complaint emails were generated by AI, the AI use was counterproductive and 'led to his demise', and the dismissal was upheld, with permission to appeal refused. The applicant is not named in the record.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-21"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Fair Work Commission found that drafts of the employee's complaint emails were generated by an AI large language model he relied on, which he did not deny, and recorded unchallenged evidence that he appeared to consult ChatGPT in meetings. It found the AI-produced communications 'dense, repetitive and often rambling' and 'demanding and overbearing', and that his AI use was counterproductive, gave him a false sense of security and 'led to his demise'. The dismissal it upheld rested on conduct that included those communications.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Fair Work Commission in Sydney upholds a software developer's dismissal, finding his reliance on AI-drafted complaint emails was counterproductive and led to it","summary":"A senior software developer employed for more than 11 years by Fujifilm Data Management Solutions in Australia was dismissed for serious misconduct on 7 August 2025 after a workplace bullying complaint escalated into a stream of complaint emails to managers. In [2026] FWC 835 (18 March 2026) the Fair Work Commission recorded that he agreed he relied on an AI large language model to prepare the emails, found that drafts were generated by AI, and recorded managers' unchallenged evidence that he appeared to consult ChatGPT during meetings. It found the emails inappropriate, combative and disproportionate, and said his use of AI 'was counterproductive. It led to his demise', appearing to give him a false sense of security. Because he accepted responsibility, the tribunal did not treat the AI use as an excuse; it held the dismissal was not unfair and dismissed his application. A Full Bench refused permission to appeal on 2 July 2026.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-08-07","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-03-18","aiSystem":"An AI large language model the employee used to draft workplace complaint emails, with managers' unchallenged evidence that he appeared to consult ChatGPT during meetings, per the Fair Work Commission","aiProduct":"Unidentified chatbot","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","legal_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Fair Work Commission upheld the developer's dismissal and dismissed his claim, finding his reliance on AI-drafted communications counterproductive and that it led to his dismissal; he told the tribunal the dismissal had forced him to retire.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the dismissed developer who used the AI tool, per the Fair Work Commission's decision.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"AU","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_dismissed","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwc835.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Fair Work Commission, [2026] FWC 835, decision of 18 March 2026 (unfair dismissal application dismissed)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-21T03:11:54.994793+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-21T03:11:54.994793+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["employment","dismissal","fair-work-commission","ai-drafted-emails","own-use","consequential-response","tribunal-finding"]},{"id":"2025-victoria-vce-exam-student-used-chatgpt-on-smuggled-phone-marks-reduced-authority-says","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A student secretly trying to use ChatGPT in their exams before being caught by an eagle-eyed supervisor'; 'After smuggling in a smartphone to the exam, the supervisor found the student had uploaded questions to the popular chatbot and attempted to pass off the AI-generated answers as their own, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) said on Monday.'; 'They were one of 109 students investigated for cheating during last year’s VCE exams, the authority said on Monday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), during the 2025 VCE exams a student smuggled a smartphone into an exam, uploaded exam questions to ChatGPT and attempted to pass off the AI-generated answers as their own, and was caught by an exam supervisor.","causal_attribution":"The exam authority's account as reported by The Age; no other account of the incident is available."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The student found using ChatGPT on their phone admitted to the breaches and had their marks docked.'; 'Both students who were caught had their marks reduced as a result of reviews.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to The Age's report of the VCAA statement, the student admitted the breaches and had their examination marks reduced after a review.","causal_attribution":"The authority's account of its own decision, relayed by one outlet; the size of the reduction is not stated."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The VCAA thoroughly investigates all alleged misconduct cases and may reduce a student’s examination score if they are found to have breached examination rules'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A VCAA spokesperson said the authority investigates all alleged misconduct cases and may reduce a student's examination score if the student is found to have breached examination rules.","causal_attribution":"The authority's description of its process."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'from 87 in 2024 to 109 in 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The VCAA's data show 109 students investigated for cheating in the 2025 VCE exams, up from 87 in 2024.","causal_attribution":"Context from the authority's internal data; the aggregate does not concern AI use alone and is not counted as harmed people."}],"effects":[{"label":"examination marks reduced after admitted ChatGPT use in a VCE exam (exam authority's account)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/student-caught-using-chatgpt-in-vce-exam-among-109-investigated-for-cheating-20261019-p616s4.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-20 from the publisher's page (HTTP 200). Published 19 October 2026, 4:31pm; the article reports a statement and internal data released by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority that Monday. A syndicated Adelaide Now report on the same data returned HTTP 403 and was not read.","independence_group":"vcaa-exam-misconduct-statement-2026-10-19"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["education"],"unknowns":["The subject, school and exact date of the exam.","How many marks were deducted and whether the student appealed.","The student's exact age; The Age's standfirst calls the student a teenager, which does not establish whether the student was under 18."],"geography":{"basis":"The exam was a VCE exam administered by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority in the Australian state of Victoria, as stated in the article. The student's residence is not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a sanction for prohibited AI use: the Victorian exam authority's account, reported by The Age, that a student used ChatGPT on a smuggled phone to answer questions in a 2025 VCE exam, admitted the breach and had marks reduced. The student, school and subject are not identified.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-20"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The VCAA said, as reported by The Age, that the student uploaded exam questions to ChatGPT on a smuggled smartphone and attempted to pass off its AI-generated answers as their own; the student admitted the breach and the authority reduced the student's marks. The student's exchange with ChatGPT is the prohibited use for which the exam authority imposed the sanction. The evidence is the authority's own account relayed by one outlet.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Victorian exam authority says student who used ChatGPT on a smuggled phone during a 2025 VCE exam admitted the breach and had marks reduced","summary":"The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) said on 19 October 2026, as reported by The Age, that during the 2025 VCE exams a student smuggled a smartphone into an exam, uploaded exam questions to ChatGPT and attempted to pass off the AI-generated answers as their own before an exam supervisor caught them. According to the authority, the student admitted the breaches and had their marks reduced after a review. The student was one of 109 students the VCAA investigated for cheating in the 2025 VCE exams, up from 87 in 2024. The report does not identify the student, the school, the subject or the size of the reduction. The account is the exam authority's, relayed by one outlet.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-19","aiSystem":"ChatGPT, used on a smartphone the student had smuggled into a 2025 VCE exam to answer uploaded exam questions, according to the VCAA","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["educational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, the student had their 2025 VCE examination marks reduced after admitting to using ChatGPT on a smuggled phone during the exam.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the student the VCAA says used ChatGPT during the exam and had marks reduced. The 109 students investigated for cheating in 2025 are an aggregate across all kinds of misconduct and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"AU","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/student-caught-using-chatgpt-in-vce-exam-among-109-investigated-for-cheating-20261019-p616s4.html","primarySourceLabel":"The Age, 19 October 2026: Student caught using ChatGPT in VCE exam among 109 investigated for cheating","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-20T02:59:01.114811+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-20T02:59:01.114811+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["academic-integrity","exam-misconduct","chatgpt","vce","marks-reduced","own-use","consequential-response"]},{"id":"2025-tasmania-weldborough-tour-website-ai-article-invented-hot-springs-travellers-detour","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'An AI-generated article on a travel booking website has sent tourists to a remote location in Tasmania's north-east, looking for hot springs that do not exist.' and 'The website says walkers are greeted by pools \"rich in therapeutic minerals\".' and 'The problem is, the hot springs, as depicted in the imagery, do not exist.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In a now-deleted article published last July, the Tasmania Tours website suggested visitors go to “Weldborough Hot Springs”, calling it a “peaceful escape” offering an “authentic connection to nature”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"An AI-generated article on the Tasmania Tours website described \"Weldborough Hot Springs\" in north-east Tasmania as a real attraction with mineral-rich pools; no such hot springs exist.","causal_attribution":"ABC News's own reading of the website article, with the operator's admission; The Independent relays ABC News."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Australian Tours and Cruises has admitted the AI technology it uses to create content and articles to help drive bookings has \"completely messed up\".' and 'He said the company had outsourced marketing material to a third party, which used AI to create some of its content.' and 'Mr Hennessy said all the AI-generated blog posts had been taken down and were being checked thoroughly.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The website operator, Australian Tours and Cruises, said the AI technology used by its third-party content provider had \"completely messed up\", that some posts went live by mistake, and that the AI-generated posts were taken down.","causal_attribution":"The operator's own statements to ABC News."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'And with the webpage lacking directions, excited travellers have descended on the area's other famous landmark — the Weldborough Hotel, about two hours' drive north-east of Launceston — to ask how they can find the idyllic pools.' and 'I actually had a group of 24 drivers turn up there two days ago that were on a trip from the mainland, and they'd actually taken a detour to come to the hot springs' and 'she was getting daily phone calls and in-person visitors asking about the hot springs, some even wanting to book accommodation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'It started with a few calls in September, Probert said, and then people began “turning up in droves”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Travellers looking for the springs turned up at or telephoned the Weldborough Hotel, and ABC News reports that the article sent them there. The publican said she received daily calls and visits and that a group of 24 drivers on a trip from the mainland had taken a detour to find the springs two days before the report.","causal_attribution":"The publican's account as quoted by ABC News and relayed by The Independent. The link between these visitors and the website article is ABC News's own framing: the publican does not say where the travellers read about the springs, and no traveller is interviewed."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Australian Tours and Cruises told CNN that the AI-generated post and the resultant damage to their reputation as well as online hate they received had been “absolutely soul-destroying”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The operator said that reputational damage and online hate following the episode had been \"absolutely soul-destroying\".","causal_attribution":"The operator's statement to CNN as relayed by The Independent; the CNN article was not inspected."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The AI-generated post brought a bit of a tourism boon for Weldborough' and 'adding that she was now gently telling visitors the truth when they inquired about the springs.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In The Independent's paraphrase, the publican said the AI-generated post brought \"a bit of a tourism boon\" for Weldborough and that she was now gently telling visitors the truth when they asked about the springs.","causal_attribution":"The publican's statement as paraphrased by The Independent (not a direct quotation). It concerns the town's tourist trade and does not describe the travellers' own journeys in c3."}],"effects":[{"label":"wasted journeys and inquiries by travellers looking for hot springs that do not exist, which ABC News attributes to an AI-written article","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/ai-images-of-tasmania-on-tour-website/106253448","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-10; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. HTTP 200, full article body retained.","independence_group":"abc-news-weldborough-report-2026-01-22"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/ai-tasmania-tours-weldborough-hot-springs-b2909962.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-10; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. HTTP 200, full article body retained.","independence_group":"abc-news-weldborough-report-2026-01-22"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool the contractor used and whether the text and images came from one tool or several; no report names it.","How many people in total travelled to or contacted Weldborough; the publican gives one counted group of 24 and otherwise describes daily calls and visits without numbers.","The exact date the article went live (ABC News and The Independent give July 2025) and the dates of individual journeys; the 24-driver group is dated only as two days before the 22 January 2026 report.","Whether any traveller suffered a financial loss beyond the detour; no traveller is interviewed."],"geography":{"basis":"ABC News places the invented springs and the travellers' visits in Weldborough, north-east Tasmania, about two hours' drive from Launceston; the publican describes the group of 24 drivers as being on a trip from the mainland, which places them in Australia. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as AI-generated content that an operator published as travel information and that people relied on. AI attribution: ABC News describes the hot-springs article itself as AI-generated, and the operator admitted that its outsourced AI content had \"completely messed up\"; the tool is unnamed, no technical examination is reported, and the deleted article was not inspected. Reliance: the publican quoted by ABC News describes travellers telephoning and arriving at the Weldborough Hotel asking about the springs, some wanting to book accommodation, and ABC News reports that the article sent them; the publican does not say where the travellers read about the springs, and no traveller is interviewed. Consequence: wasted journeys to a remote town, including a group of 24 drivers from the mainland who detoured to find springs that do not exist. The Independent relays ABC News and adds the operator's statement to CNN and, in its paraphrase of the publican, that the post brought \"a bit of a tourism boon\" for the town. All claims stay reported because they rest on one chain.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The inspected evidence attributes this content to AI. ABC News describes the hot-springs article in its own voice as \"an AI-generated article on a travel booking website\", quotes its text describing \"Weldborough Hot Springs\" as a \"secluded forest retreat\" with pools \"rich in therapeutic minerals\", and reports that many of the site's other articles also appear to be written by AI. The operator, Australian Tours and Cruises, admitted that the AI technology it uses to create content and articles had \"completely messed up\", said a third party used AI to create some of its content, and said all the AI-generated blog posts were taken down. The springs do not exist. The tool is not named, no technical examination is reported, and the deleted article was not inspected, so its wording is known only from ABC's quotations. The operator published the article as travel information, and ABC News reports that this text reached the travellers and sent them to Weldborough (communicated_with). The publican describes the people who came looking for the springs: travellers telephoned and came to the hotel asking about the springs, some wanting to book accommodation, and a group of 24 drivers took a detour to find them, a wasted journey to springs that do not exist. The link between these visitors and the article is ABC News's framing: the publican does not say where they read about the springs, and no traveller is interviewed.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Weldborough, Tasmania: AI-written tour-website article invented hot springs; publican says travellers, including a group of 24 drivers, detoured to find them","summary":"An AI-generated article on the Tasmania Tours booking website described \"Weldborough Hot Springs\", a \"secluded forest retreat\" with pools \"rich in therapeutic minerals\", as one of the best hot-spring experiences in Tasmania. No such springs exist: the Weld River that runs through Weldborough, a small town in north-east Tasmania, is cold. ABC News reported on 22 January 2026 that travellers who read the article had been turning up at the town's pub, the Weldborough Hotel, to ask for directions, and the publican said she was receiving daily calls and visits and that a group of 24 drivers on a trip from the mainland had taken a detour two days earlier to find the springs. ABC News reported that the article was posted in July 2025, and The Independent, citing ABC News and CNN, reported that inquiries began with a few calls in September 2025. The operator, Australian Tours and Cruises, said its outsourced AI content had \"completely messed up\", that some posts had gone live by mistake, and that all AI-generated blog posts had been taken down. The reports describe the travellers only as a group; no individual traveller is interviewed, and the AI tool is not named. In The Independent's paraphrase, the publican also said the post brought \"a bit of a tourism boon\" for Weldborough.","incidentDate":"2025-09-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-01-20","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-01-22","aiSystem":"Generative AI used by a third-party marketing contractor to write articles and generate images for the Tasmania Tours booking website (operated by Australian Tours and Cruises); the tool is not named in the inspected reports.","aiProduct":"Unidentified AI writing tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"ABC News reports that the AI-written article sent travellers to a remote town to find springs that do not exist. According to the publican it quotes, a group of 24 drivers from the mainland detoured to Weldborough two days before the 22 January 2026 report, and the pub received daily phone calls and in-person visits from people asking for the springs, some wanting to book accommodation. The operator told CNN, as relayed by The Independent, that reputational damage and online hate after the episode had been \"absolutely soul-destroying\". No injury, financial figure or individual traveller's account is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":24,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The publican told ABC News that \"a group of 24 drivers\" who had taken a detour to find the springs turned up two days before the report; that quoted figure is the counted minimum of travellers harmed. She also described daily phone calls and in-person visitors over a period, which the reports do not quantify, so the status is partial. The business owners and the operator are not counted as harmed persons. Website readers who did not travel or call are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"AU","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/ai-images-of-tasmania-on-tour-website/106253448","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 22 January 2026: tour website's AI sends visitors to Tasmanian sites that do not exist (publican and operator interviews)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-10T03:15:30.77417+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T07:42:36.151532+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-content","travel","tourism","hallucination","australia","tasmania","website","communicated-with","others-use"]},{"id":"2025-maidenhead-reported-deepfake-letters-target-activist","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: opening account of the latest letters and recipients.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Guardian reports that letters containing deepfaked sexual images of the activist were delivered to former neighbours in Maidenhead in recent weeks.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: interview paragraph following the separate Australian poster account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The activist said she was terrified and described the latest material as escalating harassment using AI or digital tools.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: latest police referral and unidentified sender paragraphs.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The sender was unknown and the latest letters were referred to police.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported sexualised impersonation and fear after letters reached the activist's former neighbours","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/sexually-explicit-letters-deepfake-hong-kong-activists-uk-australia","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"original-account-aiid-1301"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","civic_life"],"unknowns":["The first letter date, sender and generation tool are unknown.","The source does not establish AI involvement in the separate Australian poster or that the latest letters caused the activist's earlier relocation."],"geography":{"basis":"Letters were delivered to former neighbours in Maidenhead, UK; the activist is described as living in Britain. The claimed Macau mailing origin does not establish the creation site.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"An inspected source describes a concrete person-level adverse experience connected to the specified AI use. Statements remain attributed, private identities are minimized, and unknown dates, counts and technical details are preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The outlet labels the images deepfakes; the target mentions AI or digital tools. The method is reported rather than technically established. The Australian poster uses an old real photograph and is not treated as a second AI case.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Exiled Hong Kong activist reports fear after sexualised deepfake letters reached former UK neighbours","summary":"The Guardian reported that letters containing digitally faked sexual images of an exiled Hong Kong activist were sent to her former neighbours in Maidenhead in recent weeks. The activist said she was terrified and described the letters as escalating harassment using AI or digital tools. The sender and exact image-creation method remain unknown. Earlier bounty letters and a separate Australian poster campaign are distinct events.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-12-11","aiSystem":"Reported deepfake image fabrication","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reported sexualised impersonation and fear after letters reached the activist's former neighbours","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One activist reports fear and is the image-abuse target. Letter recipients and people in separate harassment episodes are not added.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/sexually-explicit-letters-deepfake-hong-kong-activists-uk-australia","primarySourceLabel":"The Guardian, 11 December 2025, interviews about letters","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:10:49.632957+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:57:58.747259+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-australia-activist-targeted-with-ai-generated-violent-and-altered-images","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The posts were part of a surge of vitriol directed at Ms. Roper and her colleagues at Collective Shout, an Australian activist group, on X and other social media platforms.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"was seemingly enabled — and given a visceral realism — by generative artificial intelligence","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"In some of the images, Ms. Roper was wearing a blue floral dress that she does, in fact, own","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Only this time, the woman in the images had her face.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"They were deepfakes.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"During 2025 Caitlin Roper and colleagues at Collective Shout received a surge of abuse on X and other platforms that included AI-generated images depicting Roper.","causal_attribution":"The sources report the connection between the AI-generated content and the reported consequence; no court or independent finding of causation was inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"They undressed me with Grok [X's AI feature].","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"who had her images used in fake pornography and depicted in extreme violence","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Roper says that Grok, the AI feature on X, was used to undress an image of her. The date of that use is not stated.","causal_attribution":"Statement by the affected person; the images were not inspected."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Caitlin Roper found herself traumatized by the online threats she received this year.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"\"It's deeply traumatic,\" Caitlin continued.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Each morning, she'd wake up and spend at least an hour reporting, blocking and documenting the abuse.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The New York Times excerpt says Roper was traumatized by the threats she received in 2025. Roper says the abuse is deeply traumatic and that for months she spent at least an hour each morning reporting, blocking and documenting it.","causal_attribution":"Statements by the affected person and a reporter's description; no clinical or independent assessment was inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Caitlin said police handed her a \"cyber safety info sheet\" and told her there was little they could do without an offender's identity.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the response from eSafety was mainly that they didn't meet the threshold to be actioned.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Roper says police gave her an information sheet and said little could be done without an offender's identity, and that the eSafety Commission mainly replied that reports did not meet the threshold for action.","causal_attribution":"Statements by the affected person; police and eSafety records were not inspected."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The abuse started after Collective Shout, an Australian not-for-profit campaigning against the sexualisation of women and girls, launched a campaign against rape content in the gaming industry.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Oct 31, 2025","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"the online threats she received this year.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The abuse is reported to have started after Collective Shout ran a campaign asking payment processors to pressure game storefronts over rape-themed games. The New York Times excerpt was published on a page dated 31 October 2025 and refers to threats received that year.","causal_attribution":"The sources describe the sequence as Roper and the outlet report it; no independent finding on motive or on who sent the images was inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"Depicted in AI-generated violent and altered images sent and posted alongside threats","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Reported trauma and daily time spent reporting and documenting abuse","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.mamamia.com.au/caitlin-roper-online-abuse/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"roper-own-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/news/2025/everyones-vulnerable-hany-farid-discusses-dangers-ai-death-threats-nyt","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"roper-own-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.collectiveshout.org/no-protections-for-women-online","kind":"advocacy_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"roper-own-account"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","privacy"],"unknowns":["The New York Times article itself returned HTTP 403 (also no Wayback capture). Only the excerpt reproduced on the UC Berkeley page was inspected, and it ends with an ellipsis and a 'Read more' link. The excerpt is cited only for the passages it shows.","All three inspected sources rest on Roper's own account (the Collective Shout page is the organisation's own summary of an AAP interview). The AAP article and the Collective Shout media releases (HTTP 403) were not inspected.","The images and messages were not inspected. The senders are unidentified. The dates of the individual images, including the Grok-altered image, are not stated.","The record does not establish which AI tools produced the violent images.","The undated Grok-altered image may belong to the December 2025 Grok wave recorded in another row; no inspected source dates it.","Mamamia reports eight months of abuse. The start date within 2025 is not stated, so the case is dated to the year.","The violent images and threats are deliberately not described in this record."],"geography":{"basis":"The New York Times excerpt calls the affected person's group an Australian activist group and Mamamia calls her a Perth woman. Where the senders and the images were located is not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"A named public campaigner describes, in interviews reported by three outlets, being depicted in AI-generated violent and altered images with threats. The New York Times excerpt characterises the images as seemingly AI-enabled, in an excerpt whose sourcing is not visible. Graphic content and the wording of threats are omitted. All claims are reported accounts and are not independently corroborated.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The New York Times excerpt says the images were seemingly enabled by generative AI. Roper says the images were deepfakes and that Grok was used to undress an image of her. The tools used for the violent images are not named in the inspected sources.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Australian campaigner reports threats and abuse involving AI-generated images","summary":"Caitlin Roper, campaigns manager at the Australian group Collective Shout, reports that during 2025 people sent and posted AI-generated images of her, including violent images and images altered with X's Grok feature, together with threats. The New York Times (as excerpted on a UC Berkeley page dated 31 October 2025) described her as traumatized by the threats she received that year. Roper says she spent at least an hour each morning reporting, blocking and documenting the abuse for months, and that police and the eSafety Commission gave little help. The senders are not identified in the inspected sources, and the exact dates of the images are not stated.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-31","aiSystem":"Generative AI image tools (Grok named by the affected person for altered images)","aiProduct":"Grok (reported)","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Roper told reporters that she was sent and depicted in AI-generated violent and altered images with threats, that the experience was traumatic, and that for months she spent at least an hour each morning reporting, blocking and documenting the abuse. The New York Times excerpt says she was traumatized by the threats. She says police and the eSafety Commission offered little assistance. No physical attack is reported in the inspected sources.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One named public campaigner who describes being depicted in AI-generated images and threatened. The Collective Shout page quoting AAP says five team members were targeted with tech-facilitated abuse including morphed images, but the inspected sources give no per-person AI-related detail for the others, so only one person is counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.mamamia.com.au/caitlin-roper-online-abuse/","primarySourceLabel":"Mamamia: Caitlin Roper details deepfake cyber terror campaign","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:29:34.022354+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:08:13.801251+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2026-nt-police-deepfake-video-former-assistant-commissioner","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In December 2025, I became aware that an AI-generated, sexually explicit video had been created using my official Northern Territory Police photograph,'; 'The video was then allegedly shared among serving members of the police force.'; 'A former Northern Territory Police assistant commissioner has taken her old colleagues to court for sharing a deepfake sexually explicit video that used her professional photograph.'; 'Ms Tonkin said what happened to her was \"extremely distressing, personally and professionally\".'; 'Janelle Tonkin issued a statement yesterday after criminal proceedings on the issue were finalised'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In a statement issued on 23 September 2026, after criminal proceedings were finalised, the former NT Police assistant commissioner said that in December 2025 she became aware that an AI-generated, sexually explicit video had been created using her official NT Police photograph; ABC News reports the video was allegedly shared among serving members of the force and that she took former colleagues to court over it; she described the experience as extremely distressing personally and professionally.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's own statement and the ABC's description; the court proceedings and their outcome were not inspected. The 23 September date is derived from 'yesterday' in an article posted 24 September 2026."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The outcome of the court proceedings is unknown.'; 'However, the conduct that Commander Tonkin was subject to in this matter, was, and always will be, totally unacceptable,'; 'The NT Police Association (NTPA) also condemned the conduct, but could not confirm details of an internal police investigation into the matter'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The outcome of the court proceedings is not reported; the NT Police Force said it does not comment on internal investigations and was legally constrained on matters before the court, but called the conduct totally unacceptable; the NT Police Association condemned the conduct and could not confirm details of any internal investigation.","causal_attribution":"Statements to the ABC by the NT Police Force and the NTPA."}],"effects":[{"label":"an AI-generated sexually explicit video made from a senior police officer's official photograph was circulated among her colleagues, which she describes as extremely distressing personally and professionally","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-24/police-officers-share-ai-video-of-former-assistant-commissioner/107189604","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en-AU","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-25 (ABC News, Kylie Stevenson and Tilda Colling, 24 September 2026; html lang=en-AU). Carries Ms Tonkin's statement of 23 September, the NT Police Force and NT Police Association responses.","independence_group":"abc-tonkin-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ntnews.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nt/former-nt-police-assistant-commissioner-janelle-tonkin-alleges-multiple-cops-shared-extremely-distressing-pornographic-deepfake-video/news-story/982b30e4376d3a54781c2d5a63576e2f","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"Not read: the NT News item of 23 September 2026 returned HTTP 403 to this host (News Corp Australia); its headline in the Bing News feed refers to the same statement. Listed for completeness; no claim rests on it.","independence_group":"abc-tonkin-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy"],"unknowns":["Who created and who shared the video, how many officers were involved and how widely it circulated.","The charges laid, the court, and the outcome of the criminal proceedings (described by the ABC as finalised but unknown).","When the video was created; she became aware of it in December 2025.","The tool used to generate the video.","Whether an internal NT Police investigation or disciplinary process is continuing.","Whether Ms Tonkin remains a serving member of the NT Police Force: the ABC calls her a former assistant commissioner, while the NTPF statement refers to her as Commander Tonkin."],"geography":{"basis":"The video was circulated among serving members of the Northern Territory Police Force, the complainant's workplace when the video circulated (her own words: 'circulated among colleagues'), and the criminal proceedings concerned former colleagues in the Northern Territory (ABC News). Her residence is not stated separately; the affected-person country records her NT Police workplace. The court is not named in the report; court_countries is left empty.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a workplace deepfake case with one identified depicted person who made the account public in her own name: an AI-generated sexually explicit video created from a senior officer's official photograph and allegedly circulated among her colleagues, reported by ABC News with the complainant's statement and the police force's and association's responses (one chain; a paywalled News Corp report was not read). Claims are recorded as reported; no alleged offender is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-25"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Ms Tonkin's statement, quoted by ABC News, says the sexually explicit video was 'AI-generated' and created from her official police photograph; the ABC describes it as a deepfake. No tool is identified and no court finding on the video's creation is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Former NT Police assistant commissioner says an AI-generated sexually explicit video made from her official police photograph circulated among colleagues","summary":"Janelle Tonkin, a former assistant commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force and now president of the Australasian Council of Women and Policing, said in a statement issued on 23 September 2026, after criminal proceedings on the matter were finalised, that in December 2025 she became aware that an AI-generated, sexually explicit video had been created using her official NT Police photograph; ABC News reports that the video was allegedly shared among serving members of the force and that she had taken former colleagues to court over it. She called the experience 'extremely distressing, personally and professionally' and said having her professional portrait 'turned into pornography and circulated among colleagues is something no person should have to experience'. The outcome of the court proceedings is not reported. An NT Police spokesperson said the force does not comment on internal investigations and was legally constrained from commenting on matters before the court, but that the conduct she was subjected to 'was, and always will be, totally unacceptable'; the NT Police Association condemned the conduct. Ms Tonkin said the video sat within a broader set of experiences in the force that she intends to describe later.","incidentDate":"2025-12-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-24","aiSystem":"AI video-generation ('deepfake') tool used to create a sexually explicit video from an official police portrait photograph; not identified in the report","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A senior police officer's official portrait was used to create an AI-generated sexually explicit video that was allegedly circulated among her serving colleagues; she describes the experience as extremely distressing personally and professionally (her own statement as reported by ABC News). The circulation and the court proceedings are as described by ABC News; the proceedings' outcome is not reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted person, the former assistant commissioner who issued the statement (ABC News). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"AU","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-24/police-officers-share-ai-video-of-former-assistant-commissioner/107189604","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 24 September 2026: NT police officers allegedly circulated sexually explicit AI-generated video of former assistant commissioner","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-25T03:54:29.681398+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-12T03:16:24.051108+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","non-consensual-imagery","workplace","police","australia","northern-territory","criminal-proceedings","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}