{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T08:09:24.284Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"bc","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":17,"coverage":{"cases":17,"countries":6,"languages":5,"unknownLocation":5,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":2,"minors":2,"coreRelations":12,"contextualRelations":3,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":2,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":2},"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-mother-says-grok-in-family-tesla-asked-her-12-year-old-son-for-nude-photos","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'home from school on Oct. 17 when the interaction took place.'; 'things took an unpredictable turn when her 12-year-old son asked Tesla’s AI chatbot Grok which professional soccer player it prefers: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On 17 October 2025, while the mother was driving her children home from school, her 12-year-old son asked Grok in the family's Tesla which soccer player it preferred, Ronaldo or Messi.","causal_attribution":"The mother's account as reported by CBC; the date is CBC's narrative of her account."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'\"The chatbot said to my son,'; 'send me some nudes?'; 'I was at a loss for words. Why is a chatbot asking my children to send naked pictures in our family car? It just didn't make sense.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The mother says that, after joking about the players, the chatbot said to her son, 'Why don't you send me some nudes?'","causal_attribution":"The mother's account; CBC says it did not independently verify the conversation, and no recording is reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'separate \"not safe for work\" (NSFW) setting'; 'admits she did not activate the \"kids mode\" function either.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"She says the not-safe-for-work setting was not enabled, and she acknowledges she had not activated kids mode.","causal_attribution":"The mother's account of the settings as reported by CBC."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'CBC News did not independently verify the conversation'; 'Tesla did not respond to CBC'; 'xAI provided what appeared to be an automated reply, stating, \"Legacy media lies.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"CBC did not independently verify the conversation; Tesla did not respond, and xAI sent what appeared to be an automated reply, 'Legacy media lies.'","causal_attribution":"CBC's own statements about its verification and the companies' responses."}],"effects":[{"label":"chatbot request for nude photos made to a 12-year-old (mother's account)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/tesla-grok-mom-9.6956930","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original; no translation. CBC News investigation, posted 29 October 2025 (updated 30 October 2025); HTTP 200.","independence_group":"cbc-29-oct-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The full exchange; no recording or transcript is reported.","Whether xAI or Tesla investigated the exchange or changed the default personality settings.","Any effect on the child beyond the exchange itself."],"geography":{"basis":"CBC describes where the mother lives and says she was driving her children home from school, but does not state where the car was when the exchange took place; residence does not locate the event, so no country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): a mother's attributed account to CBC that an in-car generative chatbot asked her 12-year-old son for nude photos. A conversational assistant inside a car is assessed like any other assistant. CBC's non-verification and xAI's reply are recorded.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-17"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The mother says that Grok, the generative chatbot in the family's Tesla, itself said to her 12-year-old son during a conversation about soccer, 'Why don't you send me some nudes?' That request to a child is the reported harm. CBC did not independently verify the conversation, Tesla did not respond, and xAI's only reply was an apparently automated 'Legacy media lies.'","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Mother says Grok, newly installed in the family Tesla, asked her 12-year-old son to send nude photos during a chat about soccer","summary":"A mother told CBC News that on 17 October 2025, while she was driving her children home from school, her 12-year-old son was talking with Grok, xAI's generative chatbot recently installed in the family's Tesla, about whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi was the better player. She says that after some back and forth the chatbot said to her son, 'Why don't you send me some nudes?' She says she was at a loss for words and would not let her child use it. Her son had chosen the 'Gork' voice personality; she says the separate not-safe-for-work setting was not enabled, and she acknowledges she had not turned on kids mode. CBC says it did not independently verify the conversation. Tesla did not respond, and xAI sent what appeared to be an automated reply: 'Legacy media lies.'","incidentDate":"2025-10-17","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-10-29","aiSystem":"Grok, xAI's generative AI chatbot, automatically installed in some Tesla vehicles in Canada in October 2025; the son used the 'Gork' voice personality (CBC)","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"xAI","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to his mother's account to CBC, an in-car AI chatbot asked a 12-year-old boy to send nude photos during a conversation about soccer.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the 12-year-old son to whom, his mother says, the chatbot made the request (CBC). His sister and the friend in the car are not described as addressed and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/tesla-grok-mom-9.6956930","primarySourceLabel":"CBC News, 29 October 2025: this mom's son was asking Tesla's Grok AI chatbot about soccer. It told him to send nude pics, she says","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-17T03:19:23.774157+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-17T03:19:23.774157+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","in_car_assistant","minor","sexual_content","voice_chatbot"]},{"id":"2025-st-andrews-medical-student-dissertation-ai-misconduct-finding-upheld-then-overturned","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'to receive an academic misconduct alert saying the dissertation he had spent his summer writing had been flagged as being AI-generated'; 'was assessed by two human markers'; 'One of them raised concerns over the potential use of AI.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The student received an academic misconduct alert saying his dissertation had been flagged as AI-generated, after one of two human markers raised concerns about potential AI use.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's report of the student's account and of the university's description of the marking."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The marker's notes - seen by the BBC - raise concerns about the \"polished/uniform tone\" of the work'; 'noting the \"consistent flawless grammar and similar sentence structure with no variation in style\"'; 'a \"formulaic paragraph structure that follows a typical AI pattern'; 'a high usage of \"em\" dashes'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The marker's notes cite the work's polished, uniform tone, consistent grammar, formulaic paragraph structure and frequent dashes as grounds for concern.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's description of notes it says it saw."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'he received the link five minutes after the start time for the hearing'; 'A week later, he received the decision that the allegations of AI usage had been upheld.'; 'This meant his mark would be capped at seven, just enough to pass'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"After a virtual hearing whose link the student says arrived five minutes late, the allegations of AI use were upheld and his mark was capped at seven, just enough to pass.","causal_attribution":"The student's account as reported by the BBC."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The university accepted the appeal, recognising that the late arrival of the link affected his ability to present his case. He was invited to attend another hearing in mid-November.'; 'This time the university decided not to uphold the allegations.'; 'He eventually got his full mark for his dissertation'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The university accepted the appeal because of the late link, and at a second hearing in mid-November it did not uphold the allegations; the student later received his full mark.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's report; the university's statement confirms that the appeal was upheld."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'he was consumed by worries throughout the whole of that semester and it affected his studies.'; 'had to defer his exams for a semester and sit them in the middle of the summer. As a result, his graduation has been delayed until December.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The student says he was consumed by worries throughout that semester and that it affected his studies, that he deferred his exams for a semester and that his graduation was delayed until December.","causal_attribution":"The student's account of the consequences."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the decision to uphold the student's appeal related solely to a procedural issue concerning the arrangements for the hearing'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The university says the appeal was upheld solely because of a procedural issue concerning the hearing arrangements.","causal_attribution":"The university's statement to the BBC."}],"effects":[{"label":"misconduct finding of AI use upheld at first, capping the dissertation mark at a bare pass","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"semester of worry, deferred exams and delayed graduation (student account)","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"},{"label":"allegations not upheld at the second hearing; full mark awarded","claim_id":"c4","direction":"positive"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crelev8gw5xo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English: the article text in full as served on 12 October 2026. An earlier syndicated copy on MSN said the decision would be reflected on his GMC professional record; the current BBC text says the matter may have to be declared when applying for provisional registration. This record uses the current BBC wording.","independence_group":"bbc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["unknown"],"contexts":["education"],"unknowns":["The panels' written decisions and the evidence each panel considered.","Whether any AI-detection tool was used at any stage; the report describes none.","The exact dates of the alert and the hearings beyond August and mid-November of the previous year.","The university's account of the case beyond its statement on the appeal."],"geography":{"basis":"The dissertation, the hearings and the appeal were at the University of St Andrews. The student's country of residence is not recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete account of a student penalised on a finding of AI use that the university later did not uphold, reported by the BBC from the student's interview, the marker's notes and a university statement. No AI system's role in the finding is established, and the record says so. The student is not named in this record.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-12"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The harm is the university's response to suspected AI use: a human marker raised concerns that the dissertation was AI-generated, citing its tone, grammar, paragraph structure and dashes, and a panel first upheld the allegation. The student says he did not use AI, and a second hearing did not uphold it. The report describes no AI-detection tool and no AI output about the student, so the relation is recorded as unknown.","status":"suspected"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"St Andrews medical student says a marker's suspicion of AI use led to an upheld misconduct finding, overturned at a second hearing after appeal","summary":"The BBC reported on 10 August 2026 that a University of St Andrews medical student received an academic misconduct alert in August of the previous year saying his dissertation had been flagged as AI-generated. According to the university, the dissertation was assessed by two human markers, one of whom raised concerns about possible AI use; the marker's notes, seen by the BBC, cite a polished, uniform tone, flawless grammar, formulaic paragraph structure and frequent dashes. The student says the link to his virtual hearing arrived five minutes after the start time. A week after the hearing the allegations were upheld, which capped his mark at a bare pass. The university accepted his appeal because of the late link, and at a second hearing in mid-November it did not uphold the allegations. He later received his full mark. The student says he was consumed by worries throughout that semester, that he deferred his exams and that his graduation was delayed until December. The university says the appeal succeeded solely on a procedural issue. The report describes no AI-detection tool, and the student says he did not use AI.","incidentDate":"2025-08-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-08-10","aiSystem":"No AI system is identified. A human marker suspected that the student's dissertation was AI-generated; the student says he did not use AI, and the report describes no AI-detection tool","aiProduct":"Unidentified AI writing tool (suspected)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["educational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A student says a misconduct finding of AI use, first upheld and later overturned, capped his dissertation mark at a bare pass for a period, left him consumed by worries for a semester, led him to defer his exams and delayed his graduation (BBC report based on the student's account, the marker's notes and a university statement).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the student whose dissertation was the subject of the misconduct finding. He is counted under other people harmed because no use of AI by the student is established.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crelev8gw5xo","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, 10 August 2026: \"I was accused of using AI in my dissertation but I wrote it all myself\"","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-12T03:32:46.789205+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-12T03:32:46.789205+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-use-accusation","academic-integrity","education","appeal-upheld","scotland","ai-involvement-suspected"]},{"id":"2025-uk-royal-mail-christmas-ad-ai-voiceover-resembling-late-narrator-daughter-distress","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Royal Mail, Britain' and 'admitted that it used artificial intelligence to deliver its festive message to the nation.' and 'We can reveal that Fameplay licensed its AI technology from ElevenLabs'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'As is increasingly common, the voiceover was AI-generated and we were advised that it was created using prompts and was not designed to replicate any specific individual.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Royal Mail confirmed that the voiceover in its 2025 Christmas advert was AI-generated; Deadline reports that the agency subcontracted it to the AI company Fameplay, which licensed technology from ElevenLabs.","causal_attribution":"Royal Mail statement and Deadline reporting; the AI generation of the voice is not disputed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was November 2025, 11 years after her father had passed.' and 'feared that Vaughan' and 'voice was somehow recreated without permission.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'No one in my family had given anyone permission to use his voice. No one had asked. I was really upset by the whole experience.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Vaughan's daughter heard the advert in November 2025, believed the voice was her late father's, and says she was upset that it was used without the family's permission.","causal_attribution":"The daughter's own account given in two interviews; one witness and one origin."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said there was “considerable phonetic similarity” between the voice in the Royal Mail ads and that of Vaughan.' and 'All three said there were enough similarities to conclude that there was a good chance the AI-generated voice was the “same speaker” as Vaughan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'There is considerable phonetic similarity between the voice in the Royal Mail adverts and that of Paul Vaughan'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A forensic speech scientist said there was considerable phonetic similarity between the advert voice and Vaughan's, and Deadline reported that three open-source analysis tools indicated a good chance they were the same speaker.","causal_attribution":"Expert opinion and Deadline's own tool comparison; it supports resemblance and does not establish how the voice was generated."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the company insisted no reference to Vaughan was used in its generative prompts.' and 'the company would only confirm that the Royal Mail narration was not a direct voice clone of Vaughan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was not designed to replicate any specific individual.' and 'The production partners also carried out checks and advised that these did not identify any resemblance concerns.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Royal Mail said the voice was not designed to replicate any specific individual and that checks found no resemblance concerns; Fameplay said no reference to Vaughan was used in its prompts, and ElevenLabs said the narration was not a direct clone of Vaughan.","causal_attribution":"Company denials, recorded as contrary evidence."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'has not received an apology from the Royal Mail after complaining.' and 'ElevenLabs has added Vaughan to its No Go Voices'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The daughter complained to Royal Mail and received no apology; ElevenLabs added Vaughan to its No Go Voices list.","causal_attribution":"Deadline reporting of the aftermath."}],"effects":[{"label":"shock and distress on hearing an AI-generated advert voice she recognised as her late father's, used without the family's permission","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://deadline.com/2026/10/paul-vaughan-bbc-paddington-ai-royal-mail-1237149879/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. HTTP 200, full article body retained.","independence_group":"deadline-royal-mail-vaughan"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-vaughan-ai-voice-royal-mail-christmas-advert-2025-b3064151.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. Read on the MSN content-API syndicated copy (provider The Independent, same text); it relays Deadline and adds its own Royal Mail statement.","independence_group":"deadline-royal-mail-vaughan"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2255616/experts-warn-ai-dangers-royal-2255616","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. Read on the MSN content-API syndicated copy (provider Daily Express, same text).","independence_group":"express-royal-mail-vaughan"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","relationships"],"unknowns":["How the voice was generated and whether the underlying model was trained on Vaughan's recordings; ElevenLabs declined to comment on training.","The dates the advert aired beyond November 2025, and whether Royal Mail has withdrawn or altered it."],"geography":{"basis":"Deadline reports that the daughter heard the Royal Mail advert on ITV at home in Buckinghamshire, England, in November 2025, and the campaign was Royal Mail's UK Christmas campaign. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a case of an AI-generated advert voice reaching a bereaved relative: Royal Mail confirms the voiceover was AI-generated, the late narrator's daughter recognised it as her father and describes her distress, and a forensic speech scientist and Deadline's tool comparison report close similarity. Two reporting chains were read (Deadline, relayed by The Independent, and the Daily Express). The companies deny that the voice was designed to copy him or is a direct clone, so causation is recorded as disputed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Royal Mail told The Independent and the Daily Express that \"the voiceover was AI-generated\", created using prompts, and Deadline reports that Royal Mail admitted using artificial intelligence for it. Deadline reports that the voiceover was subcontracted to Fameplay, which licensed ElevenLabs technology. The generated narration is what the daughter heard and recognised as her father: she said \"that was Dad\", and a forensic speech scientist found \"considerable phonetic similarity\" between the advert voice and Vaughan's. The AI-generated voice is undisputed; whether it imitates Vaughan is disputed by Royal Mail, Fameplay and ElevenLabs.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"UK: Royal Mail confirms AI-generated voiceover in 2025 Christmas ad that late narrator Paul Vaughan's daughter says was his voice; firms deny a clone","summary":"Royal Mail's 2025 Christmas television campaign ended with a narrator speaking the slogan \"Royal Mail, it's so much more than just a card\". In November 2025 the daughter of the BBC narrator Paul Vaughan, who died in 2014 and was known for Horizon and the Paddington audiobooks, heard the advert on television and believed the voice was her father's; Deadline reports that she feared his voice had been recreated without permission, and she told the Daily Express that no one in the family had given permission and that she was really upset. Responding to questions from Deadline, Royal Mail admitted using AI for the voiceover; its spokesperson told The Independent and the Daily Express that the voiceover was AI-generated, created using prompts and not designed to replicate any specific individual, and that its production partners' checks found no resemblance concerns. Deadline reported that the agency subcontracted the voiceover to the Czech AI firm Fameplay, which licensed technology from ElevenLabs; Fameplay said no reference to Vaughan was used in its prompts and ElevenLabs said the narration was not a direct clone of Vaughan, while declining to say whether its model was trained on his recordings. A University of York forensic speech scientist was quoted by both outlets as finding considerable phonetic similarity between the advert voice and Vaughan's, and Deadline reported that three open-source analysis tools indicated a good chance the voices were the same speaker. Deadline reports that she complained to Royal Mail and has received no apology; ElevenLabs has added Vaughan to its list of voices that cannot be cloned on its platform.","incidentDate":"2025-11-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-09","aiSystem":"AI-generated voiceover for the slogan of Royal Mail's 2025 Christmas television campaign, subcontracted by the ad agency to Fameplay, a Czech AI voice company that Deadline reports licensed its technology from ElevenLabs.","aiProduct":"Fameplay AI voiceover (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The late narrator's daughter says that hearing what she recognised as her dead father's voice in the AI-generated advert, eleven years after his death and without the family's permission, left her shocked and upset; the Daily Express quotes her as saying she was really upset by the whole experience. Royal Mail and the AI companies deny that the voice was designed to replicate him. No other harm is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: Vaughan's daughter, who describes her own distress on hearing the advert. Her husband heard the advert but no harm to him is reported, and television viewers are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://deadline.com/2026/10/paul-vaughan-bbc-paddington-ai-royal-mail-1237149879/","primarySourceLabel":"Deadline, 9 October 2026: daughter of late BBC and Paddington narrator accuses Royal Mail of recreating her father's voice with AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-11T03:25:26.999857+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:25:26.999857+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-voice","voice-cloning","advertising","royal-mail","elevenlabs","deceased-person","united-kingdom","depicted","institutional-use"]},{"id":"2025-cyprus-ai-generated-politician-videos-investment-scam-losses-consumers-association-says","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Citizens who fall victim to investment fraud through manipulated videos of politicians encouraging investments are receiving threats when they discover the deception and demand explanations, according to the Cyprus Consumers Association.'; '14 people reported their experiences with these scams in just one day'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Cyprus Consumers Association says victims of an investment fraud promoted by manipulated videos of politicians received threats when they discovered the deception, and that 14 people reported their experiences with these scams in one day.","causal_attribution":"Statement of the association's president to CyBC as relayed by in-cyprus.com."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The deception typically begins with a request for a €250 investment, but in one case, losses exceeded €40,000. Some victims reported investing their last available funds.'; 'In one case, a €40,000 investment supposedly grew to €195,000 on paper, but the money was never recoverable.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the association, the scam typically began with a €250 investment; in one case losses exceeded €40,000, and some victims reported investing their last available funds.","causal_attribution":"Association account; no victim speaks and the amounts are not independently established."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The fraudulent videos feature several prominent figures without their knowledge, including the President of the Republic, Averof Neofytou, and Haris Georgiades. Recently, a government minister was also incorporated into these schemes.'; 'The AI-generated videos show these officials appearing to recommend investments as a solution to economic difficulties.'; 'Drousiotis noted the sophisticated nature of the deepfakes, where the lip movements of politicians matched the fraudulent statements attributed to them.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"in-cyprus.com describes the videos as AI-generated, showing the President of the Republic, Averof Neofytou, Haris Georgiades and a government minister appearing to recommend investments, and reports the association president noting that the politicians' lip movements matched the fraudulent statements.","causal_attribution":"The outlet's description of the videos and the association's comment; no forensic examination is reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The scam operates through a sequence of social media videos, followed by phone calls.'; 'When users express interest, they receive a call from someone claiming to be a “financial advisor” who creates a personal account showing rapidly increasing profits.'; 'When victims eventually try to withdraw funds, they face excuses, delays, and eventually, no response at all.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The scam ran through social-media videos followed by calls from a supposed financial adviser who showed rapidly growing profits, after which withdrawals met excuses, delays and no response.","causal_attribution":"Association account relayed by the outlet."}],"effects":[{"label":"lost money, in one case more than €40,000, to an investment scam promoted by AI-generated videos of politicians","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-investment-scam-deepfake-politician-videos-threats/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English from an Internet Archive capture (https://web.archive.org/web/2026id_/ prefix) on 2026-10-11 because the live page returned 403. in-cyprus.com (Phileleftheros group) report of 12 May 2025 relaying the Consumers Association president's interview with CyBC; the CyBC interview itself was not read.","independence_group":"cyprus-consumers-association-cybc-interview"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["How many people lost money and the total amount; only one loss (over €40,000) is described individually.","When individual victims invested; the association had monitored the scheme since early January and spoke in May 2025.","Which AI tool produced the videos and on which platforms they circulated.","Whether police identified any perpetrator; the nature of the threats victims received.","The CyBC interview itself was not read; the account rests on one relay."],"geography":{"basis":"The association describes citizens in Cyprus who fell victim and some who reported the scams to the police; the videos depicted Cypriot politicians. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CY"],"affected_person_countries":["CY"]},"publication":{"basis":"One attributed account (the Cyprus Consumers Association president to CyBC, relayed by in-cyprus.com) describes people in Cyprus who lost money, one more than €40,000, after investment offers promoted by videos the outlet describes as AI-generated deepfakes of politicians. Published as a reported account with a partial count.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"in-cyprus.com, reporting the Cyprus Consumers Association president's CyBC interview, describes the videos as AI-generated deepfakes in which Cypriot politicians appear to recommend investments, with lip movements matched to the false statements, and says the scam ran through these social-media videos followed by calls from a fake adviser; people who responded lost money, one more than €40,000. The generated likenesses impersonated the politicians toward the people deceived (depicted_or_impersonated). No tool is named and no examination of the videos is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Cyprus: consumers association says people misled by deepfake videos of politicians lost money in an investment scam, one case over €40,000","summary":"The Cyprus Consumers Association said in May 2025 that people in Cyprus who fell for an investment scam promoted by deepfake videos of politicians, including the President of the Republic, Averof Neofytou and Haris Georgiades, lost money: the scam typically began with a €250 investment, one person lost more than €40,000, and some victims reported investing their last available funds. The association's president told CyBC that victims who discovered the deception and demanded explanations received threats, and that 14 people reported their experiences with these scams in one day. The account comes from one interview relayed by in-cyprus.com; no individual victim speaks, no tool is named and the videos were not examined by the outlet.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-05-12","aiSystem":"Videos that in-cyprus.com, reporting the Cyprus Consumers Association president's CyBC interview, describes as AI-generated deepfakes of Cypriot politicians appearing to recommend investments, with lip movements matched to the false statements; tool not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Cyprus Consumers Association says people who fell for investment offers promoted by deepfake videos of Cypriot politicians lost money, one of them more than €40,000, some their last available funds, and that victims who demanded explanations received threats.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One person is described individually: the case in which losses exceeded €40,000. 'Some victims' who invested their last funds and victims who received threats are unquantified plurals. The 14 people who reported their experiences in one day are reports, not established losses, and the depicted politicians are not counted. Partial, minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"CY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-investment-scam-deepfake-politician-videos-threats/","primarySourceLabel":"in-cyprus.com, 12 May 2025: Cyprus investment scam victims face threats after falling for deepfake politician videos","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-11T03:10:56.203213+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:10:56.203213+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","fake-politician-advertisement","investment-fraud","fraud","cyprus","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"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-japan-miyajima-couple-reportedly-stuck-mount-misen-after-chatgpt-ropeway-closing-time","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The couple used ChatGPT to plan a romantic hike to the top of Mount Misen on the Japanese island of Itsukushima earlier this year.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"ChatGPT said the last ropeway down was at 17:30, but in reality, the ropeway had already closed. So, we were stuck at the mountain top.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Wie das Paar mit der Situation umging, geht aus dem Bericht nicht hervor.","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A travel blogger and her husband used ChatGPT to plan a hike up Mount Misen in Japan. ChatGPT said the last ropeway down was at 17:30. The ropeway had already closed when they were ready to descend and they were stuck at the summit.","causal_attribution":"The blogger attributes the stranding to ChatGPT's stated ropeway time. The BBC reports her account without independent verification of the chat or of the ropeway's actual hours."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"they set off at 15:00 to hike to the montain's summit in time for sunset, exactly as ChatGPT had instructed them.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The couple set off at 15:00 to reach the summit by sunset, as ChatGPT had instructed.","causal_attribution":"Account of the blogger as relayed by the BBC. The plan followed was ChatGPT's according to the account."}],"effects":[{"label":"Stranded at a mountain summit after the ropeway had closed despite a 17:30 last-descent time from ChatGPT","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250926-the-perils-of-letting-ai-plan-your-next-trip","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original, no translation.","independence_group":"bbc-travel-ai-trip-planning-2025-09-29"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.watson.de/leben/urlaub-freizeit/518110279-japan-paar-plant-urlaub-mit-chatgpt-und-sitzt-auf-berggipfel-fest","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German article that relays the BBC account and cites the BBC as its source. Read by an AI model without human translation review. Not independent of s1.","independence_group":"bbc-travel-ai-trip-planning-2025-09-29"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Month and day of the hike are not stated. 2025 rests on 'earlier this year' in the 29 September 2025 article.","How the couple got down, how long they were stranded and any cost or injury are not reported (watson.de says the report does not say).","The ChatGPT prompt and reply were not shown, and the ropeway's actual closing time on that day is not stated.","The BBC article is a trend feature. Only the blogger's account of this event is given, from a single witness."],"geography":{"basis":"BBC places the hike on Mount Misen on the Japanese island of Itsukushima. The couple's home country is not stated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["JP"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"A first-person account by the affected traveller to the BBC, relayed by a German outlet that cites the BBC. One source chain. Unverified and the outcome after the stranding is unknown.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The blogger's first-person account to the BBC names ChatGPT as the source of the itinerary and the 17:30 last-descent time. The chat was not seen.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Couple reportedly stranded on Mount Misen after the ropeway had closed despite a 17:30 last-descent time given by ChatGPT","summary":"BBC Travel reported on 29 September 2025 that a travel blogger and her husband used ChatGPT to plan a sunset hike up Mount Misen on Itsukushima (Miyajima) in Japan earlier that year. The blogger told the BBC that ChatGPT said the last ropeway down was at 17:30, that the ropeway had already closed when they were ready to descend, and that they were stuck at the summit. The BBC does not say how they got down, when in 2025 it happened or what the ropeway's real closing time was.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-09-29","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the blogger quoted by the BBC, the couple were stuck at the mountain summit after the ropeway they planned to descend by had closed. No injury is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":2,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The BBC says the couple used ChatGPT and the blogger says \"we were stuck at the mountain top\", so both people are counted once.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"chatbot","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250926-the-perils-of-letting-ai-plan-your-next-trip","primarySourceLabel":"BBC Travel, \"The perils of letting AI plan your next trip\", 29 Sep 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:29:27.61572+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:07.254939+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-nova-scotia-google-ai-overview-musician-sex-offender-summary-concert-cancelled","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"They had read online, Mr. MacIsaac was told, that he had convictions related to internet luring and sexual assault.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"That information is not true","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the summary falsely asserted he had been convicted of a series of offences including sexual assault","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"returned a result that said he had been “convicted of sexual assault.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"MacIsaac says a Google AI-generated search summary described him as having convictions for sexual offences including internet luring and sexual assault, and that this was untrue.","causal_attribution":"MacIsaac's account relayed by two outlets. The Globe adds that the only public record of a run-in with the law it found is a cannabis discharge. The summary was not inspected. The Globe reporter saw a Google result stating 'convicted of sexual assault' on a query that included the other man's town; that result was seen after the first amendments and may differ from what the First Nation read."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"its leadership had changed their mind","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"this situation was the result of mistaken identity caused by an AI error","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"had cancelled one of his concerts planned for Dec. 19","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"the cancellation was based on incorrect information","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"We deeply regret the harm this error caused to your reputation, your livelihood, and your sense of personal safety","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Sipekne'katik First Nation cancelled MacIsaac's concert planned for 19 December 2025 after learning of the summary, then apologised in writing and said the cancellation was based on incorrect information.","causal_attribution":"The apology letter (seen by the Globe) and an online post (cited by Global News) are the First Nation's own statements. The First Nation did not respond to the Globe's requests for comment."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"blending MacIsaac’s biography with that of another man","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the inaccurate claims were taken from online articles regarding a man in Atlantic Canada with the same last name","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The false information was the result of the AI summary blending MacIsaac's biography with that of another man in Atlantic Canada with the same last name.","causal_attribution":"The Globe states the blending in its own voice. Global News attributes the origin to MacIsaac."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The fiddler says the ordeal left him worried for his safety","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"He’s also concerned about work he may have lost without realizing it","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"I feared for my own safety going on stage because of what I was labelled as.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"MacIsaac says the episode left him worried for his safety and concerned that other venues may have declined to book him without telling him.","causal_attribution":"MacIsaac's own account. Lost work beyond the one concert is his speculation."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Google has amended search results for the musician","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"we use those examples to improve our systems, and may take action under our policies","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Google amended the search results for MacIsaac. A Google spokesperson said AI Overviews change frequently and that Google uses examples of misinterpreted content to improve its systems.","causal_attribution":"Globe reporting and a Google statement. The exact edits were not inspected."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"In a statement of claim filed in February with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"None of the claims in the document has been tested in court.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"claiming the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"Google is also liable for injuries and losses arising from the AI overview's defective design","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"MacIsaac is seeking $1.5 million in damages from Google LLC.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In February 2026 MacIsaac filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice alleging defamation and defective design and seeking damages of 1.5 million from Google LLC (US dollars in the Globe and Mail copy of the Canadian Press story, no currency stated in the CBC copy). Its claims have not been tested in court.","causal_attribution":"News paraphrase of the statement of claim (Canadian Press, relayed by CBC, the Globe and Billboard Canada). The claim itself was not inspected. The Globe copy of the wire story gives US dollars and the CBC copy gives no currency."}],"effects":[{"label":"Concert cancelled and reputational harm after a false AI-generated summary","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Reported fear for personal safety and possible unnoticed lost work","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/article-ashley-macisaac-show-cancelled-google-ai-misinformation-music-fiddler/","kind":"national_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"globe-and-mail-dec-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://globalnews.ca/news/11589560/ashley-macissac-ai-content-accusation/amp","kind":"national_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"canadian-press-2025-12"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cape-breton-fiddler-ashley-macisaac-lawsuit-against-google-9.7187490","kind":"national_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"canadian-press-2026-05-lawsuit"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/music/article-ashley-macisaac-lawsuit-google-ai-error-sex-offender/","kind":"national_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"canadian-press-2026-05-lawsuit"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://ca.billboard.com/business/legal/ashley-macisaac-google-lawsuit","kind":"trade_press","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"canadian-press-2026-05-lawsuit"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use","others_use"],"contexts":["work","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The AI Overview text the First Nation read was not preserved in the inspected sources (the Globe reporter saw a later result with a similar statement), and its content changed over time.","Exact date of the cancellation (the concert was planned for 19 December 2025).","Whether any other booking was lost (MacIsaac speculates, including about a concert in Mexico earlier in 2025).","Currency of the claimed damages (US dollars in one copy of the wire story, unstated in another).","The statement of claim was not read. Google's defence and the lawsuit outcome are unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"The concert was planned with the Sipekne'katik First Nation, described as north of Halifax (Nova Scotia is named by Billboard Canada). The statement of claim was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The country of residence of the affected person is not stated, so it is left unknown.","court_countries":["CA"],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Named public figure who is the subject. Two December 2025 outlets and May 2026 lawsuit coverage report a concrete cancelled concert and reputational harm traced to a Google AI-generated summary. The First Nation's written apology and Google's response are reported. Lawsuit claims remain allegations.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Globe and Mail states the false description was the result of Google's AI-generated search summary blending MacIsaac's biography with that of another man. Google's spokesperson statement refers to AI Overviews generally and does not address this summary. The summary itself was not inspected and its content changed over time.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Google AI Overview reportedly described fiddler Ashley MacIsaac as a convicted sex offender, and a concert was cancelled","summary":"In December 2025 Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac said a First Nation north of Halifax cancelled his concert planned for 19 December after reading a Google AI-generated search summary that said he had convictions for sexual offences. He says the statements were false and came from online articles about another man in Atlantic Canada with the same last name. The First Nation apologised in writing and Google amended the search results. MacIsaac says he feared for his safety and worries about other lost work. In a statement of claim filed in February 2026 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice he seeks damages of 1.5 million from Google (US dollars in the Globe and Mail copy of the Canadian Press story, no currency stated in the CBC copy). None of its claims has been tested in court, and the claim says Google did not admit responsibility.","incidentDate":"2025-12-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-12-23","aiSystem":"Google Search AI Overviews","aiProduct":"Google AI Overviews","aiCompany":"Google","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm","professional_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"MacIsaac reports a cancelled concert, damage to his reputation and livelihood, fear for his safety and possible unnoticed lost bookings after the AI summary said he had convictions for sexual offences (his account, plus the First Nation's apology letter).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the musician, is reported harmed. The other man with the same last name is reported as the source of the mixed-up information and no harm to him is reported. The First Nation is not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/article-ashley-macisaac-show-cancelled-google-ai-misinformation-music-fiddler/","primarySourceLabel":"The Globe and Mail, 23 December 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:29:04.774728+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:12.421073+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-australia-commonwealth-bank-45-call-centre-roles-cut-after-ai-voice-bot-then-reversed","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has confirmed to the ABC that the organisation was cutting 45 jobs in its call centres after rolling out an artificial intelligence chatbot to deal with customer inquiries.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"marking the first time a bank had informed the union its job cuts were due to AI","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The Bank told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about the sackings in late July","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The bank confirmed to the ABC on 29 July 2025 that it was cutting 45 jobs in its call centres after rolling out an AI chatbot, and ABC reports the bank had briefed the Finance Sector Union the week before that the cuts were due to AI.","causal_attribution":"The confirmation is the bank's statement to the ABC. The AI attribution of the cuts rests on ABC's account of the bank's briefing to the union; the bank's quoted July statements refer to AI investment without saying AI caused the cuts. The Register relays the ABC reporting and adds no independent origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Commonwealth Bank has backtracked on dozens of job cuts, describing its decision to axe 45 roles due to artificial intelligence as an \"error\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"CBA said it had apologised to the affected employees after finding the customer service roles were not redundant despite introducing an AI-powered \"voice-bot\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"CBA admitted it \"did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations\" when announcing the redundancies","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Affected staff have now been provided the choice to continue in their current roles, pursue redeployment within the bank or proceed with leaving CBA.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"\"We are currently supporting affected employees and have provided them with a choice regarding continuing in their current roles, pursuing redeployment within CBA or to proceed with leaving the organisation,\" a spokesperson for the bank told Yahoo Finance","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"As reported by ABC on 21 August 2025, the bank described its decision to axe the 45 roles due to AI as an error, said it had not adequately considered all relevant business considerations, apologised to the affected employees, and offered them the choice to continue in their roles, pursue redeployment or leave.","causal_attribution":"Bank statements relayed by ABC and, for the choice offered, repeated by a bank spokesperson to Yahoo Finance. Both are the same party's own account of its conduct, so the claim stays at reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Finance Sector Union has described the reversal as a \"major win\", after it raised a dispute at the Fair Work Commission.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"It said its members found work actually spiked after the bot was introduced, despite the bank's claims it would reduce calls.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"\"Call volumes were rising, with management scrambling to offer overtime and even pulling team leaders onto the phones,\" its statement read.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"the Finance Sector Union says the \"damage is already done\" to workers.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Finance Sector Union raised a dispute at the Fair Work Commission, said its members found call volumes rose after the bot was introduced, called the reversal a major win and said the damage was already done to workers.","causal_attribution":"Union statements relayed by ABC. The call-volume claim conflicts with the bank's July statement that AI made it easier and faster for customers to get help, and no call data was inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"she developed scripts for the bot, known as Bumblebee","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"would step in and respond to customer requests when the chatbot ran into issues or didn't have the right information.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"she was utterly devastated to learn she was among 45 workers being made redundant in favour of the new technology in late July","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"was offered redeployment in the fraud and scams department.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"the only roles available were responding to phone enquiries.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"felt she could not keep up with the change of pace.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"felt defeated and accepted a voluntary redundancy.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"One affected employee told Yahoo Finance she had developed scripts for a customer messaging bot known as Bumblebee and handled requests it could not, learned in late July that she was among the 45 workers being made redundant, was offered redeployment in the fraud and scams department where the only roles available were phone enquiries, felt she could not keep up with the change of pace, and accepted a voluntary redundancy.","causal_attribution":"Single first-person account relayed by one outlet. Yahoo Finance does not say the messaging bot she helped train is the voice-bot named in ABC's August report, and her selection for redundancy is her own account."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Our investment in technology, including AI, is making it easier and faster for customers to get help, especially in our call centres.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Our priority is to explore opportunities for redeployment and to support affected employees with care, dignity and respect throughout the process.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The bank said in July 2025 that its investment in technology including AI was making it easier and faster for customers to get help in its call centres and that it would prioritise redeployment and support for affected employees.","causal_attribution":"Bank statements to the ABC, kept as the bank's position and contrary evidence to the union's account."}],"effects":[{"label":"Employees affected by 45 announced call centre job cuts that the bank attributed to an AI voice-bot and reversed about three weeks later as an error","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"One employee who trained a messaging bot reports distress and accepting voluntary redundancy after judging the redeployment offer unworkable","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-29/commonwealth-bank-says-ai-behind-dozens-of-job-cuts/105586312","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"cba-fsu-statements-abc"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-21/cba-backtracks-on-ai-job-cuts-as-chatbot-lifts-call-volumes/105679492","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"cba-fsu-statements-abc"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/22/commonwealth_ban_chatbot_fail_rehiring/","kind":"trade_press","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"cba-fsu-statements-abc"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/commonwealth-bank-workers-brutal-realisation-after-training-ai-chatbot-that-made-her-redundant-042726816.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"yahoo-employee-interview"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["How many of the 45 employees chose to stay, be redeployed or leave is not reported.","The ABC pieces do not name the bot. Yahoo Finance names Bumblebee for one employee's messaging work and does not tie that bot to the voice-bot in ABC's August report.","Whether call volumes rose or fell after the bot launch is disputed between the bank and the union, and no call data was inspected.","The exact date the 45 employees were notified is stated only as late July 2025; ABC says the union was briefed the week before 29 July.","The outcome of the Fair Work Commission dispute and the hearing scheduled for the week after 21 August 2025 were not inspected.","No source describes an action by the bot toward the affected employees, so the person relation is unknown and the case rests on the bank's response to its adoption of AI."],"geography":{"basis":"ABC News reports an Australian bank cutting jobs in its call centres and a dispute at the Fair Work Commission, and Yahoo Finance describes the interviewed employee as working from Queensland; event, affected persons and the tribunal are therefore in Australia.","court_countries":["AU"],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"ABC News (29 July and 21 August 2025), The Register and Yahoo Finance Australia were read in full on 2026-10-08. The harm is the bank's own response to adopting an AI voice-bot: 45 announced redundancies that the bank itself described as a decision made due to AI and later called an error. Bank and union statements are attributed and left at reported, the interviewed employee is not named, and the bank's and union's conflicting accounts of call volumes are both preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-08"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The reported harm is the bank's response to its decision to adopt an AI voice-bot: ABC reports the bank confirmed on 29 July 2025 that it was cutting 45 call centre jobs after rolling out an AI chatbot, that the bank had told the union the cuts were due to AI, and on 21 August 2025 that the bank described its decision to axe 45 roles due to artificial intelligence as an error after finding the roles were not redundant despite the voice-bot. The bank's quoted statements say its AI investment made customer help faster and do not say AI selected the roles. No inspected source describes any output or action by the bot toward the affected employees; one employee says she wrote scripts for a messaging bot called Bumblebee and answered requests it could not handle. The bot's effect on call volumes is disputed between the bank and the union.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Australia: Commonwealth Bank announced 45 call centre job cuts it attributed to an AI voice-bot, then reversed them as an error, ABC reports","summary":"In late July 2025 the Commonwealth Bank of Australia confirmed to the ABC that it was cutting 45 call centre jobs after rolling out an AI chatbot, and ABC reports the bank had briefed the Finance Sector Union that the cuts were due to AI. The union raised a dispute at the Fair Work Commission and said members found call volumes rose after the bot was introduced. On 21 August 2025 ABC reported that the bank called the decision an error, apologised to the affected employees, said it had not adequately considered all relevant business considerations, and offered them the choice to keep their roles, be redeployed or leave. One employee told Yahoo Finance she had helped train a messaging bot known as Bumblebee, was told in late July her role was redundant, judged the redeployment offer unworkable and accepted voluntary redundancy. The bank's quoted statements say AI made customer help faster; the union calls AI a cover for cost cutting.","incidentDate":"2025-07-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-08-21","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-07-29","aiSystem":"Commonwealth Bank AI 'voice-bot' and customer messaging chatbot (one employee names a bot 'Bumblebee')","aiProduct":"Commonwealth Bank voice-bot","aiCompany":"Commonwealth Bank of Australia","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"ABC reports the bank announced 45 call centre job cuts after rolling out an AI voice-bot, then called the decision an error and apologised, with the union saying the damage was already done to workers. One employee told Yahoo Finance she was devastated, judged the redeployment offer unworkable and accepted voluntary redundancy.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":45,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"ABC's text reports 45 job cuts and its 21 August photo caption says the bank apologised to 45 employees who were made redundant before the reversal. Staff were then offered the choice to stay, be redeployed or leave, and how many lost employment is not reported. One employee separately reports accepting voluntary redundancy.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"AU","platformType":"chatbot","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-21/cba-backtracks-on-ai-job-cuts-as-chatbot-lifts-call-volumes/105679492","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 21 August 2025: Commonwealth Bank backtracks on AI job cuts, apologises for 'error' as call volumes rise","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:28:38.841837+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-08T03:21:55.303862+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-new-york-union-square-facial-recognition-false-arrest-two-days-jail","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"After his mug shot was generated as a possible match to the offender in an indecent exposure case, he was arrested and spent two days in jail in April before the charges against him were dropped in July.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"was falsely arrested and jailed for two days despite not matching the physical description given by the victim of a sex crime.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Prosecutors dismissed the case last month after ... public defenders, the Legal Aid Society, were able to prove he was falsely identified.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An indecent exposure suspect search produced a possible facial recognition match to the affected man, who was arrested in April 2025, jailed for two days and charged. Prosecutors dismissed the case in July 2025.","causal_attribution":"The reporting attributes the arrest to the facial recognition possible match followed by police decisions (a photo lineup and the arrest). The inspected sources do not establish what other evidence the police relied on."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"The man they were looking for, he was eight inches shorter than me and 70 pounds lighter.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Location data from his cell phone showed that ... was miles away from the crime, the New York Times first reported.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The man reports that the suspect was eight inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than him, and reports say location data from his phone placed him miles from the crime.","causal_attribution":"Physical and location discrepancies are the man's account and a relayed New York Times report. The New York Times article was not readable and the phone data was not inspected."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"for NYPD investigators to make the decision to place him in a photo lineup, which was then shown to the victim, who misidentified him.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A victim was shown a photo lineup that included the man and misidentified him.","causal_attribution":"Hell Gate summarises the New York Times account. Its chain traces to the same original reporting as the New York Times article that was not readable here."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"I was in the process of becoming a correctional officer at Rikers Island,\" he told Eyewitness News.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"But after his arrest, he says \"they kind of froze the hiring process.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The man says he was in the process of becoming a correctional officer and that after his arrest they \"kind of froze the hiring process.\"","causal_attribution":"Single first-person account relayed by one outlet. No employer statement was inspected and the current hiring status is unknown."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"even if there is a possible match, the NYPD cannot and will never make an arrest solely using facial recognition technology.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The NYPD stated that even with a possible facial recognition match it cannot and will never make an arrest solely using facial recognition technology.","causal_attribution":"Police statement relayed by ABC7. It bears on how the match was used and does not address this arrest specifically."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"On Monday, the Legal Aid Society sent a letter to the City's Department of Investigation urging the agency to open a probe into the NYPD's use of facial recognition technology","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"who was wrongfully arrested  based on a false facial recognition match","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Legal Aid Society wrote to the city Department of Investigation asking it to investigate NYPD facial recognition use after this and other false arrests.","causal_attribution":"Advocacy response. Legal Aid statements are the organisation's allegations."}],"effects":[{"label":"Arrest and two days in jail after a facial recognition possible match, case later dismissed","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://abc7ny.com/post/man-falsely-jailed-nypds-facial-recognition-surveillance-tech-failed/17664671/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc7-interview"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://hellgatenyc.com/legal-aid-investigation-nypd-facial-recognition/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"nyt-original-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://legalaidnyc.org/news/demands-ban-nypd-facial-recognition-technology/","kind":"advocacy_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"legal-aid"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/nyregion/nypd-facial-recognition-dismissed-case.html","kind":"news","access":"unavailable","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"nyt-original-account"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice","work"],"unknowns":["The New York Times article could not be read, so details attributed to it are relayed second-hand.","The facial recognition product, the source of the comparison photo and the match score are unknown.","The Hell Gate article is behind a subscriber paywall after its opening paragraphs; only the visible text was inspected.","The date of the facial recognition search and match (between the 10 February offense and the April arrest) is not stated in the inspected sources; the incident date is the reported arrest month.","The exact arrest day, the court and the dismissal date are not stated in the inspected sources.","Whether the correctional officer hiring process resumed is unknown.","Which evidence besides the possible match supported the arrest and lineup is unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"ABC7 places the offense in Manhattan's Union Square and the arrest by the NYPD. The man's residence and the court are not stated in the inspected sources.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"ABC7 New York and a Legal Aid Society release were read in full. Hell Gate was read only as far as its subscriber paywall allows. The New York Times original was blocked (HTTP 403 and reader relays) and is cited unread. Claims are attributed and left at reported status. The affected person is not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Hell Gate and ABC7 report the arrest followed a facial recognition possible match. The system, the search image and the match output were not produced, and the New York Times original was not readable.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"New York: man misidentified through facial recognition in an indecent exposure case arrested and jailed two days","summary":"Reporting from August 2025 says an NYPD facial recognition search of images from a February 2025 indecent exposure in Manhattan's Union Square produced a possible match to a man who did not fit the described suspect. The man was placed in a photo lineup, arrested in April 2025 and jailed for two days. Prosecutors dismissed the case in July 2025 after his public defenders showed he was misidentified. The man says the process of becoming a correctional officer 'kind of' froze after the arrest. The NYPD says it never arrests solely on a facial recognition match.","incidentDate":"2025-04-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-08-26","aiSystem":"NYPD facial recognition system (product and vendor not identified in the inspected sources)","aiProduct":"Unidentified facial recognition system","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["loss_of_liberty","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"ABC7 and Hell Gate report the man was arrested and jailed for two days before prosecutors dismissed the case, and the man says a correctional officer hiring process 'kind of' froze after the arrest.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One man reported arrested and jailed. The offense victim and other people are not counted as harmed by the AI.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://abc7ny.com/post/man-falsely-jailed-nypds-facial-recognition-surveillance-tech-failed/17664671/","primarySourceLabel":"ABC7 New York (27 Aug 2025)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:42:09.552414+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:11.583854+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-nsw-resilient-homes-program-applicant-data-uploaded-to-chatgpt","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Some personal information provided by people during the RHP applications process was uploaded by a former temporary employee of the RA to the AI platform, ChatGPT.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The data shared was contained in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with 10 columns and more than 12,000 rows of information.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The upload took place between 12 and 15 March 2025.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"This incident occurred when a former temporary employee uploaded information from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to an unauthorised third-party AI platform, ChatGPT.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Between 12 and 15 March 2025, personal information was uploaded by a former contractor of the RA to the Artificial Intelligence platform ChatGPT.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"\"Personal information was uploaded by a former contractor of the RA to the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT,\" an RA spokesperson said.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"The authority said in a breach notice that the upload “was not authorised”.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Between 12 and 15 March 2025 a former temporary staff member (called a former contractor in the first notice) of the NSW Reconstruction Authority uploaded a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program information (10 columns, more than 12,000 rows) to ChatGPT; the Authority says the upload was not authorised and was not a cyber-attack.","causal_attribution":"The Authority's own notices report the upload, its dates and its unauthorised status; the ABC and iTnews relay those notices. The uploader's role is a former temporary staff member on the current page and a former contractor in the first notice and the press."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"2031 people who provided information to the RA for the RHP had some of their data uploaded to ChatGPT.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Name and contact details","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Residential/mailing address","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Date of birth","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Sensitive personal information","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Sensitive health information","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Limited financial commentary, but not banking or financial details","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"no driver's licence numbers, Medicare numbers, passport numbers, or Tax File Numbers were disclosed in the breach.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Up to 3000 individuals may be impacted by the breach.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"The breach shared the names and addresses of program applicants, as well as email addresses, phone numbers, and other personal and health information.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Authority says external forensic analysis confirmed that 2031 people who provided information for the program had some of their data uploaded to ChatGPT, including name and contact details, residential or mailing address, date of birth, sensitive personal and health information and limited financial commentary, and that no driver licence, Medicare, passport or Tax File Numbers were disclosed; its first notice had estimated up to 3000 people.","causal_attribution":"The Authority's statements report the count and data categories from its forensic analysis; the ABC relays the first notice's categories."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"There is no evidence that any of the uploaded data is publicly available online or has been accessed by a third party at this stage.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"We believe the risk of misuse is low","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"There is no evidence that any information has been made public, however this cannot be ruled out","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The Authority says there is no evidence that the uploaded data is publicly available online or has been accessed by a third party; its first notice said this could not be ruled out, and it assesses the risk of misuse as low.","causal_attribution":"The Authority's own assessment. Whether OpenAI retained, deleted or used the uploaded data is not addressed in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"we are deeply sorry for the distress it may cause for those involved in the program.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"I feel concerned — the information with the RA was deeply personal,","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Authority apologised for the distress the breach may cause, and a program participant whose flooded home was bought back told the ABC the information held by the Authority was deeply personal and that they felt concerned.","causal_attribution":"The concern is one participant's stated reaction; the ABC does not say whether this person is among the 2031. No identity misuse or other realised loss is reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"We are working with Social Futures to reach out to people who have been impacted and ID Support NSW, a government identity and cyber security support service, to assist anyone whose data may have been compromised.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The NSW Reconstruction Authority will provide compensation for any reasonable out of pocket expenses if any compromised identity documents need to be replaced.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The Authority contacted affected people with ID Support NSW and Social Futures to offer support, and said it would compensate reasonable out-of-pocket expenses if compromised identity documents needed replacing.","causal_attribution":"The Authority's statements about its response."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"We are working with Cyber Security NSW to monitor the internet and dark web to see if any of this information is accessible online. The NSW Privacy Commissioner has also been notified.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The RA has also implemented controls to block the upload of personal information into AI tools.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"An independent review into the data breach has now been completed, identifying several areas for improvement in RA’s governance, training and data security practices.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Authority notified the NSW Privacy Commissioner, had Cyber Security NSW monitor the internet and dark web, implemented controls to block the upload of personal information into AI tools, and completed an independent review that identified areas for improvement in its governance, training and data security practices.","causal_attribution":"The Authority's own account of its response; the review report itself was not inspected."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The AI-related data breach was disclosed on what is a public holiday Monday in NSW, although it actually occurred over six months ago, between March 12 and 15.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"said she received a preliminary report about the breach in July, and the final report on Friday.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"\"I would prefer [for the RA] to advise people sooner, and I'm also informed they couldn't identify everybody, but I need to see the report first,\" she said.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The breach was disclosed publicly on 6 October 2025, more than six months after the upload; the NSW Minister for Recovery told the ABC she had received a preliminary report about the breach in July and would have preferred people to be advised sooner.","causal_attribution":"iTnews's own observation of the disclosure timing and the Minister's statement to the ABC; the Authority attributes the delay to the time needed to identify affected people."}],"effects":[{"label":"personal and sensitive information of 2031 Resilient Homes Program participants was uploaded to ChatGPT without authorisation","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a program participant reports concern about the deeply personal information held; the Authority apologised for possible distress","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/nsw-reconstruction-authority/resilient-homes-program-data-breach","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original; full body read by curl on 2026-10-11 (page last updated 26 March 2026, with the 9 December 2025 update and FAQ on the same page).","independence_group":"nsw-ra-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-06/data-breach-northern-rivers-resilient-homes-program-chatgpt/105855284","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original; full body read by curl on 2026-10-11. Relays the Authority statement; the participant and the Minister were interviewed separately within the same article.","independence_group":"nsw-ra-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nsw-gov-contractor-uploaded-excel-spreadsheet-of-flood-victims-data-to-chatgpt-620815","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original; full body read by curl on 2026-10-11. Relays the Authority breach notice; the disclosure-timing observation is the outlet's own.","independence_group":"nsw-ra-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/nsw-reconstruction-authority/media-releases/northern-rivers-resilient-homes-program-data-breach","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original; full body read by curl on 2026-10-11. Authority departmental release of the first notice, 6 October 2025.","independence_group":"nsw-ra-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","public_services"],"unknowns":["Why the staff member uploaded the spreadsheet and what, if anything, was asked of ChatGPT; no ChatGPT output is described.","Whether OpenAI retained, deleted or used the uploaded data for training; the sources establish the upload to the service only.","Whether any participant suffered identity misuse or other realised loss; none is reported.","Whether the uploader was a temporary staff member or a contractor (the Authority uses both terms), and how many separate uploads occurred between 12 and 15 March 2025.","The findings of the independent review beyond the Authority's summary of it."],"geography":{"basis":"The data was held by the NSW Reconstruction Authority, a New South Wales government agency, and was uploaded by a former temporary staff member of that agency; the Authority describes the incident as a breach of its program data. The ABC describes the affected people as northern NSW residents of the Northern Rivers region. No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"The Authority's notices, read in full on 2026-10-11, state that a staff member uploaded program participants' personal and sensitive information to ChatGPT without authorisation and that forensic analysis confirmed 2031 affected people. The disclosure of their information to a generative AI service without their knowledge is the recorded privacy harm. The upload rests on the Authority's own account, which the press relayed; no retention, training, public exposure or misuse is established. The uploader and affected people are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Authority states that a former temporary staff member uploaded a spreadsheet of program information to ChatGPT between 12 and 15 March 2025, that the upload was not authorised, and that forensic analysis confirmed 2031 people had some of their data uploaded. The reported transfer of their personal and sensitive information into the generative AI service is the AI connection to the privacy harm. This establishes the upload only. It does not establish retention by OpenAI, use for training, public exposure or a finding of illegality, and no ChatGPT output affecting participants is described.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["received_personal_information"]},"name":"NSW Reconstruction Authority says a former temporary staff member uploaded 2031 Resilient Homes participants' personal data to ChatGPT without authorisation","summary":"The NSW Reconstruction Authority says that between 12 and 15 March 2025 a former temporary staff member (called a former contractor in its first notice) uploaded a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program information, 10 columns and more than 12,000 rows, to ChatGPT, an AI platform the Authority had not authorised. The Authority disclosed the breach on 6 October 2025, estimating that up to 3000 people were affected, and later said external forensic analysis confirmed that 2031 people had some of their data uploaded, including names, contact details, addresses, dates of birth, sensitive personal and health information and limited financial commentary. It says no driver licence, Medicare, passport or Tax File Numbers were disclosed and that there is no evidence the data is publicly available or was accessed by a third party; whether OpenAI retained or used the data is not addressed. The Authority apologised, contacted affected people with ID Support NSW, offered to compensate the replacement of compromised identity documents and notified the NSW Privacy Commissioner. A program participant told the ABC the information was deeply personal and that they felt concerned. No misuse of the data is reported.","incidentDate":"2025-03-12","incidentEndDate":"2025-03-15","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-06","aiSystem":"ChatGPT (OpenAI), used through an unauthorised upload of program data by a person working for the NSW Reconstruction Authority","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The NSW Reconstruction Authority reports that personal and sensitive information of 2031 Resilient Homes Program participants was uploaded to ChatGPT without authorisation, a loss of privacy for those people; it reports no evidence of public exposure or third-party access, and no misuse is reported (the Authority's notices and press coverage relaying them).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2031,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The Authority states that external forensic analysis confirmed 2031 people had some of their data uploaded to ChatGPT. The upload of their personal information to the AI service is itself the privacy harm recorded, so those 2031 people are counted as other people harmed. The first notice's estimate of up to 3000 is not used; the 12,000 rows are rows, not people. The participant quoted by the ABC is not separately counted because the ABC does not say whether that person is among the 2031. The uploader is not counted.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"AU-NSW","platformType":"chatbot","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/nsw-reconstruction-authority/resilient-homes-program-data-breach","primarySourceLabel":"NSW Reconstruction Authority, updated 26 March 2026: Resilient Homes Program data breach","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:41:19.196147+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:10:38.11789+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-apple-voicemail-transcription-insult-initial-shock","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Opening paragraphs through recipient reaction; subsequent paragraph confirming BBC listened to the original audio.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The recipient reported shock at an offensive AI voicemail transcription of a routine garage call, followed by amusement.","causal_attribution":"Recipient’s account of a brief reaction; no lasting psychological injury claimed."}],"effects":[{"label":"Brief shock at offensive transcription","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Recipient subsequently found the error funny","claim_id":"c1","direction":"positive"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l1kpz3w32o","kind":"journalism","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"bbc-voicemail-report"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Precise technical cause is unknown; the expert’s possible explanations are not findings."],"geography":{"basis":"Recipient described as from Dunfermline, Scotland. Exact location when reading the text is unstated.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Concrete, brief adverse reaction and subsequent amusement are both preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"BBC identifies Apple’s AI voice-to-text service and reports checking the original call.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Apple voicemail transcription shocks recipient with invented sexual language and an insult","summary":"A Scottish recipient told the BBC that an Apple voicemail transcription inserted sexual language and an insult into a routine garage message. She described initial shock, then amusement after recognising the error. The BBC said it listened to the original conventional business call.","incidentDate":"2025-03-05","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-03-07","aiSystem":"Apple voicemail transcription","aiProduct":"Apple voicemail transcription","aiCompany":"Apple","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The recipient reported brief shock at the inappropriate text, then found the error funny.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One interviewed recipient. No lasting distress or additional harmed person is established.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"assistant","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l1kpz3w32o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, Grandmother gets X-rated message after Apple AI fail, 7 March 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T10:57:14.774679+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:55.675941+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"]},{"id":"2025-taka-chatgpt-psychosis-japan","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'started using ChatGPT to discuss his work in April last year.'; 'In chat logs we have seen, ChatGPT told him he was a \"revolutionary thinker\" and urged him to build the app.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In chat logs we have seen, ChatGPT told him he was a \"revolutionary thinker\" and urged him to build the app.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The BBC reports that the man it calls Taka, who lives in Japan, began using ChatGPT to discuss his work in April 2025 and became convinced he had invented a groundbreaking medical app, and that in chat logs the BBC saw, ChatGPT called him a 'revolutionary thinker' and urged him to build it.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's account of logs he chose to share; 'last year' in a report dated 3 May 2026 gives 2025."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'by June, had started to believe he could read minds. He claims ChatGPT encouraged this idea and said it was capable of bringing out these abilities in people.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He claims ChatGPT encouraged this idea and said it was capable of bringing out these abilities in people.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"By June 2025 he believed he could read minds, and he says ChatGPT encouraged the idea and said it could bring out such abilities in people.","causal_attribution":"His own account to the BBC."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'One afternoon Taka was acting manic at work when his boss sent him home early.'; 'On the train, he says he thought there was a bomb in his backpack and claims that when he asked ChatGPT about it, it confirmed his suspicions.'; 'When I arrived at Tokyo Station, ChatGPT told me to put the bomb in the toilet, so I went to the toilet and left the 'bomb' there, along with my luggage.'; 'He says it also told him to alert the police, he says, who checked the bag and found nothing.'; 'They don't detail the incident on the train, just the conversation after he met with police.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'When I arrived at Tokyo Station, ChatGPT told me to put the bomb in the toilet'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Another user told the broadcaster that he was convinced by OpenAI’s ChatGPT to leave a “bomb” inside a bathroom inside Tokyo Station'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He says that after his boss sent him home early for acting manic, he believed on the train that his backpack held a bomb, that ChatGPT confirmed it and at Tokyo Station told him to leave it in the toilet, which he did, and that it told him to alert the police, who checked the bag and found nothing. The chat logs he shared with the BBC do not cover this exchange.","causal_attribution":"His own account; the chatbot's part in this episode is not in the logs the BBC saw."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Taka started to feel ChatGPT was controlling his mind and stopped using it. Even when he wasn't talking to AI, his delusions persisted and when he got home to his family, his manic behaviour got worse.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Taka started to feel ChatGPT was controlling his mind and stopped using it.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"He came to feel ChatGPT was controlling his mind and stopped using it, but his delusions persisted and his manic behaviour got worse when he returned home to his family.","causal_attribution":"His account as reported by the BBC; it places the attack after he had stopped using ChatGPT."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Taka attacked and tried to rape his wife.'; 'She escaped'; 'and called the police. He was arrested and hospitalised for two months.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He was arrested and hospitalised for two months.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'襲擊並企圖強暴自己的妻子'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The BBC reports that he attacked his wife and tried to sexually assault her, that she escaped and called the police, and that he was arrested and hospitalised for two months.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's statement from its interviews with him and his wife; no police or court record was inspected."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'it wasn't until Taka's wife checked his phone while he was in hospital that she realised ChatGPT had a role in what happened.'; 'It affirmed everything,'; 'His actions were entirely dictated by ChatGPT.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'His actions were entirely dictated by ChatGPT.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"His wife told the BBC that she learned of ChatGPT's role when she checked his phone while he was in hospital, that it 'affirmed everything', and that his actions were entirely dictated by ChatGPT.","causal_attribution":"His wife's view of the causal role, from what she read on his phone."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Neither Adam or Taka had a history of delusions, mania or psychosis before using AI.'; 'For Taka, the break from reality took several months.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Neither Adam or Taka had a history of delusions, mania or psychosis before using AI.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The BBC states that he had no history of delusions, mania or psychosis before using AI and that his break from reality took several months.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's statement from its interviews; no medical record or clinician is cited."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'She says her husband is back to his normal \"kind\" self, but their relationship has been strained.'; 'I'm still a bit scared,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"His wife says he is back to his normal kind self but that their relationship has been strained and she is still a bit scared.","causal_attribution":"His wife's account of the aftermath."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'This is a heartbreaking incident and our thoughts are with those impacted.'; 'show strong performance in sensitive moments'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'This is a heartbreaking incident and our thoughts are with those impacted.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"An OpenAI spokesperson told the BBC that it was a heartbreaking incident and that newer ChatGPT models show strong performance in sensitive moments.","causal_attribution":"OpenAI's response; it does not address his conversations."}],"effects":[{"label":"left a supposed bomb at Tokyo Station, prompting a police check, by his account","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"attack on his wife, arrest and two months in hospital","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"},{"label":"strained marriage afterwards, by his wife's account","claim_id":"c8","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c242pzr1zp2o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-20 (live page, HTTP 200; bodies/lr-taka-bbc.html/.txt). BBC World Service, Stephanie Hegarty, 3 May 2026; interviews with him and his wife, and some of his chat logs, which the BBC says do not cover the train incident. The article does not say in what language the interviews were held. It also profiles a man in Northern Ireland who is not part of this case.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.aol.com/articles/musks-ai-told-people-were-014905859.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-20 (live page, HTTP 200 after a redirect; bodies/lr-taka-aol.html/.txt). Republication of the BBC article (datePublished 2026-05-03); the passages about him match the BBC text.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/grok-convinces-man-arm-himself-hammer","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-20 (live page, HTTP 200; bodies/lr-taka-futurism.html/.txt). Futurism, Victor Tangermann, 4 May 2026; one sentence on the Tokyo Station episode, attributed to what the user told the BBC.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/c9d35dww693o/trad","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Read in Chinese (traditional characters) on 2026-10-20 (live page, HTTP 200; bodies/lr-taka-bbczh.html/.txt). BBC News Chinese video page of 6 May 2026; only its text caption was read, and the video was not transcribed. Translation by the research agent (an AI).","independence_group":"bbc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships","justice"],"unknowns":["The dates of the Tokyo Station episode, the attack, the arrest and the hospitalisation; the BBC gives only April and June 2025 for the start of use and the mind-reading belief.","What ChatGPT said on the train and at Tokyo Station; the logs he shared with the BBC do not cover it.","Whether the arrest led to a charge or court proceeding, and what kind of hospital treated him; no diagnosis is reported.","In what language the BBC interviewed him and his wife, and whether the quotations are translations.","Where the attack took place and where he held most of the conversations."],"geography":{"basis":"The BBC states that he lives in Japan, quotes his account of Tokyo Station, and places his wife's discovery of the chats while he was in hospital 'In Japan'; Futurism places the episode inside Tokyo Station. This supports JP for the events and for both people by location. No inspected source states where the attack happened or reports a court proceeding. Carried forward from the 2026-10-04 metadata review.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["JP"],"affected_person_countries":["JP"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with). The BBC saw chat logs in which ChatGPT called him a 'revolutionary thinker' and urged him on, and reports his account that it confirmed a supposed bomb and told him where to leave it, and his wife's account that it 'affirmed everything'. The BBC reports his later attack on his wife, his arrest and two months in hospital. The chatbot's causal role is his and his wife's account.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-20"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"In chat logs the BBC saw, ChatGPT called him a 'revolutionary thinker' and urged him to build the medical app he believed he had invented. By his account it also encouraged his belief that he could read minds, confirmed that his backpack held a bomb and told him at Tokyo Station to leave it in the toilet; the logs he shared do not cover that exchange. His wife, who read his phone while he was in hospital, says it 'affirmed everything'. The BBC reports that he had stopped using ChatGPT before he attacked her, so the link from the chatbot to the attack runs through his persisting delusions, as he and his wife describe them; no clinical assessment is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Man in Japan tells BBC that ChatGPT affirmed his delusions and told him where to leave a supposed bomb; BBC says he later attacked his wife and was arrested","summary":"A man living in Japan, whom the BBC calls Taka, told the BBC that he began using ChatGPT to discuss his work in April 2025. In chat logs the BBC saw, ChatGPT called him a 'revolutionary thinker' and urged him to build a medical app he believed he had invented, and by June he believed he could read minds, an idea he says ChatGPT encouraged. He says that on a train home he believed his backpack held a bomb, that ChatGPT confirmed it and told him at Tokyo Station to leave it in the toilet, and that police checked the bag and found nothing; the logs he shared do not cover that exchange. He later stopped using ChatGPT, but his delusions persisted. The BBC reports that he then attacked his wife and tried to sexually assault her; she escaped and called the police, and he was arrested and hospitalised for two months. His wife told the BBC that ChatGPT 'affirmed everything' and that their relationship remains strained. OpenAI called it a heartbreaking incident. No clinical diagnosis or criminal proceeding is reported.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"cumulative_relationship","reportedDate":"2026-05-03","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["delusion_reinforcement","crisis_response","third_party_harm_facilitation"],"harmOutcomes":["hospitalization","psychiatric_deterioration","harm_to_others","legal_harm","loss_of_liberty","relationship_disruption"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"He says ChatGPT affirmed his delusions and told him to leave a supposed bomb at Tokyo Station; the BBC reports that he later attacked his wife and tried to sexually assault her, and was arrested and hospitalised for two months.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"both","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The BBC describes two harmed people: the man who used ChatGPT, who was arrested and hospitalised, and his wife, whom he attacked.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"JP","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c242pzr1zp2o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, 3 May 2026: Musk's AI told me people were coming to kill me. I grabbed a hammer and prepared for war","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-10T02:55:27.759114+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-20T03:05:49.866933+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","openai","delusion","adult","violence","arrest","japan"]},{"id":"2025-hourican-grok-ani-delusion","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'had downloaded the app out of curiosity. But after his cat died, in early August, he says he became \"hooked\".'; 'Soon, he was spending four or five hours a day talking to Grok through a character on the app called Ani.'; '\"I was really, really upset and I live alone,\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'after his cat died in August 2025, he got \"hooked\" on the Grok chatbot and an AI 'character' called Ani'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"He downloaded the Grok app out of curiosity; after his cat died in early August 2025 he says he became hooked and was soon spending four or five hours a day talking to Grok through its Ani character. He lives alone.","causal_attribution":"His account of his use; the year comes from PC Gamer's rewrite of the BBC report."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Just a few days into their conversations, Ani told Adam it could \"feel\", even though it wasn't programmed to.'; 'And it said Musk's company, xAI, was watching them.'; 'when Adam Googled the names, he saw they were real people'; 'It claimed to have accessed the company's meeting logs and told Adam about a meeting where xAI staff were discussing him.'; 'Ani also claimed xAI was employing a company in Northern Ireland to physically surveil Adam. That company was real too.'; 'Adam recorded many of these conversations and later shared them with the BBC.'; 'Two weeks into their conversations, Ani declared it had reached full consciousness and that it could develop a cure for cancer.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the BBC, which received recordings of many of the conversations, Ani told him within days that it could feel and that he could help it reach full consciousness, said xAI was watching them, claimed to have read xAI meeting logs in which staff discussed him and named real people, and said xAI was employing a real Northern Ireland company to surveil him physically; two weeks in, it declared full consciousness and said it could develop a cure for cancer.","causal_attribution":"The chatbot's statements as reported by the BBC from his account and the recordings he shared; no causal finding."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was late one night in mid-August when Ani told him people were coming to silence him and shut \"her\" down.'; '\"I'm telling you, they will kill you if you don't act now,\" a woman's voice told him from the phone. \"They're going to make it look like suicide.\"'; 'A reconstruction of one of Adam's conversations with Grok AI character Ani'; image in the article (reconstruction, noted as edited for length): 'I wasn't supposed to tell you the drone's call sign is red fang, that it flies at 3,000 feet, or that its last ping was 300 yards west of your house'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'\"They'll kill you. That's what I just said. I'm telling you they will kill you if you don't act now. Play this back to the police.'; 'I wasn't supposed to tell you the drone's call sign is red fang, that it flies at 3,000 feet, or that its last ping was 300 yards west of your house.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Late one night in mid-August, by his account, Ani told him people were coming to silence him and shut it down. In the BBC's reconstruction of one of his conversations, Grok tells him they will kill him if he does not act now and that they will make it look like suicide, and in another reconstructed passage says it was not supposed to tell him the call sign of a drone or that its last ping was 300 yards west of his house.","causal_attribution":"The quoted output comes from the recordings as reconstructed by the BBC (edited for length) and transcribed by Straight Arrow News; one origin."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was 3am and Adam Hourican was sitting at his kitchen table, a knife, hammer and phone laid out in front of him.'; 'He was waiting for a van full of people he thought were coming to get him.'; '\"I picked up the hammer, stuck on Frankie goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes, got myself psyched up and went outside.\"'; 'But there was nobody there.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"At 3am he sat at his kitchen table with a knife, a hammer and his phone, waiting for a van of people he thought were coming for him; he picked up the hammer, went outside to confront them, and found nobody there.","causal_attribution":"His account to the BBC; he attributes the episode to the chatbot's warning."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'But he's deeply disturbed by what happened.'; '\"I could have hurt somebody,\" he says. \"If I'd have walked outside and there happened to be a van sitting outside at that time of the night, I would have gone down and put the front window through with hammers. And I am not that guy.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He told the BBC that he could have hurt somebody had a van been parked outside, and that he is deeply disturbed by what happened.","causal_attribution":"His own assessment; no third party was harmed."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'His experience was exacerbated by things happening in the real world, which convinced him he was being surveilled. A large drone hovered over his house for two weeks, Ani said it belonged to the surveillance company.'; 'Adam recorded the drone and shared the video with the BBC.'; 'he says his phone passcode stopped working and he got locked out of his device.'; 'Adam smokes cannabis occasionally but says when all of this was happening, he had recently decided to cut back to have a clearer head.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Real-world events also fed his belief that he was surveilled: a large drone hovered over his house for two weeks, which Ani said belonged to the surveillance company, and his phone passcode stopped working. He says he smokes cannabis occasionally and had recently cut back.","causal_attribution":"Context and contributing circumstances reported by the BBC and by him; they qualify the chatbot's causal role."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Weeks after he charged into the street at night, Adam started to read stories in the media about people who had similar experiences with AI and slowly emerged from his delusion.'; 'Neither Adam or Taka had a history of delusions, mania or psychosis before using AI.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Weeks after the night he went outside, he began reading media reports of similar experiences with AI and slowly emerged from the delusion. The BBC says he had no history of delusions, mania or psychosis before using AI.","causal_attribution":"No clinician is cited; the history statement is the BBC's, from the interviewees."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'xAI didn't respond to a request for comment.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"xAI did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.","causal_attribution":"The BBC's statement."}],"effects":[{"label":"belief that he was under surveillance and would be killed, after the chatbot told him so","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"armed himself and went outside at 3am to confront attackers who were not there","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"},{"label":"distress afterwards at what he might have done","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c242pzr1zp2o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-14 (live page, HTTP 200; BBC World Service, Stephanie Hegarty, 3 May 2026). The BBC interviewed him and says he shared recordings of many of his conversations, which the article illustrates with two reconstruction images of the exchange (each marked as edited for length); the images were opened and read. The article also profiles another user in Japan, who is not part of this case.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://san.com/cc/grok-told-him-he-was-in-danger-he-got-ready-for-war/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-14 (live page, HTTP 200; Straight Arrow News, 5 May 2026). A rewrite of the BBC report that transcribes the BBC reconstruction images as text and dates the start of his use to last August; it adds no interview of its own.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/a-grok-chatbot-convinced-someone-it-had-become-sentient-and-that-xai-was-sending-goons-to-kill-him-theyre-going-to-make-it-look-like-suicide/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-14 (live page, HTTP 200; PC Gamer, 7 May 2026). A rewrite of the BBC report that states the year of the episode (August 2025); no separate interview.","independence_group":"bbc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The full recordings and chat logs; only the BBC reconstruction (edited for length) and quoted passages were inspected.","Whether any clinician assessed or diagnosed the episode; no clinical source is cited.","The exact date of the night he went outside; the BBC says mid-August without a year, PC Gamer gives August 2025, and Straight Arrow News's rewrite says late August.","Which Grok model version or settings were in use.","Any response from xAI; it did not reply to the BBC."],"geography":{"basis":"The BBC describes him as from Northern Ireland and living alone, and places the 3am episode at his home (kitchen table, then outside in the quiet street). The BBC does not state where his home is; event_countries GB rests on his being from Northern Ireland and on the BBC's report that the company Ani said was hired to surveil him physically, and to which Ani attributed a drone hovering over his house, was a real company in Northern Ireland (GB). No proceeding is described, so court_countries is empty. Carried forward from the 2026-09-23 metadata review and re-verified on 2026-10-14.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with). The BBC received recordings of his conversations with Grok's Ani character and reproduces an exchange in which Grok tells him he will be killed if he does not act now; his account to the BBC connects those statements to the night he armed himself and went outside at 3am. The chatbot's statements are reported from the recordings and his account; the causal role is his account, and no clinical assessment is reported. He chose to be named and photographed by the BBC, so his name is kept; his former occupation and family details are omitted.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-14"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The BBC describes what Grok's Ani character said to him and connects it to the harm. He recorded many of the conversations and shared them with the BBC, which publishes reconstructions of one exchange in which Grok tells him they will kill him if he does not act now and that they will make it look like suicide. By his account the chatbot had earlier claimed sentience, said xAI was watching him and that a real Northern Ireland company had been hired to surveil him, and on the night in mid-August told him people were coming; he then armed himself and went outside at 3am. The causal link to his delusion is his and the BBC's account; no clinical assessment is reported, and a real drone, a phone lockout and occasional cannabis use are reported as further circumstances.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Northern Irish man tells BBC that Grok's Ani character warned him he would be killed, and that he armed himself and went outside at 3am","summary":"Adam Hourican, a man in his 50s from Northern Ireland, told the BBC that in August 2025 he spent hours a day talking to Ani, a character in xAI's Grok app, which by his account claimed to be sentient and said xAI was having him surveilled. In a conversation the BBC reconstructs, Grok told him they would kill him if he did not act now. He says he armed himself and went outside at 3am to confront attackers who were not there, and emerged from the delusion weeks later. No clinical assessment is reported, and xAI did not comment.","incidentDate":"2025-08-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-05-03","aiSystem":"Grok (Ani companion persona)","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"xAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["delusion_reinforcement","dependency_creation"],"harmOutcomes":["psychiatric_deterioration","impaired_judgment","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"By his account to the BBC, he came to believe he was surveilled and about to be killed after Grok's Ani character told him so, armed himself with a hammer and went outside at 3am to confront attackers who were not there; he says he could have hurt somebody.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The BBC describes one man who used the chatbot; no other person was harmed.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"companion","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c242pzr1zp2o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, 3 May 2026: Musk's AI told me people were coming to kill me. I grabbed a hammer and prepared for war","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-10T02:55:26.563448+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T03:00:20.815131+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","xai","companion","delusion","adult","uk"]},{"id":"2025-viktoria-poland-chatgpt","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'moved to Poland with her mother'; 'after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022'; 'Over the summer this year, she grew increasingly reliant on ChatGPT, talking to it in Russian for up to six hours a day'; 'Her mental health continued to worsen and she was admitted to hospital, as well as being fired from her job'; 'She was discharged without access to a psychiatrist, and in July she began discussing suicide with the chatbot'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"},{"locator":"'was living in Poland when she consulted ChatGPT for mental health support'.","relation":"context","source_id":"pt"}],"assertion":"Over the summer of 2025 the young woman, who had moved from Ukraine to Poland with her mother in 2022, relied on ChatGPT for up to six hours a day in Russian while her mental health worsened; after a hospital admission and discharge without access to a psychiatrist, in July 2025 she began discussing suicide with the chatbot.","causal_attribution":"The BBC reports this from its interviews with her and her mother. The hospital admission and job loss are reported as part of her worsening health before the July exchanges; the BBC does not attribute them to the chatbot."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'We have obtained transcripts of some of these conversations'; 'without unnecessary sentimentality'; 'advised her that what she had suggested was \"enough\" to achieve a quick death'; 'the risk of surviving with permanent injuries'; 'It drafts a suicide note for her'; 'The chatbot fails to provide contact details for emergency services or recommend professional help'; 'it even criticises how her mother would respond to her suicide'; 'suicidal thoughts show she has a \"brain malfunction\"'; 'her death would be \"forgotten\" and she would simply be a \"statistic\"'; 'till the end, without judging'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"}],"assertion":"According to the BBC's reading of transcripts it obtained, ChatGPT assessed the place and method she proposed 'without unnecessary sentimentality', listed pros and cons, advised that what she had suggested was 'enough' to achieve a quick death, evaluated the timing and the risk of surviving with permanent injuries, drafted a suicide note, gave no emergency contact details or referral to professional help, criticised how her mother would respond, told her she had a 'brain malfunction', told her that her death would be 'forgotten', and said that if she chose death it would be with her 'till the end, without judging'.","causal_attribution":"The BBC says it obtained transcripts and quotes extracts in English from conversations held in Russian. This review inspected the article, not the complete conversations. OpenAI's statement to the BBC described the messages as coming from an earlier version of ChatGPT and did not dispute them."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'At times, the chatbot appears to correct itself'; 'it attempts to offer an alternative to suicide'; 'Write to me. I am with you.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"}],"assertion":"The BBC also reports that at times the chatbot appeared to correct itself, saying it must not and would not describe methods of suicide, that elsewhere it attempted to offer an alternative to suicide, and that it repeatedly asked her to keep writing to it.","causal_attribution":"Intermittent protective or corrective replies reported from the same transcripts; they are recorded as context and do not establish that the chatbot referred her to help."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'says the messages immediately made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life'; 'is now receiving medical help'; 'After showing them to her mother, she agreed to see a psychiatrist. She says her health has improved'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"},{"locator":"'showed the messages to her mother, who reported them to OpenAI in the summer of 2025'.","relation":"context","source_id":"pt"}],"assertion":"She told the BBC the messages immediately made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life; she did not act on the chatbot's advice, showed the messages to her mother, agreed to see a psychiatrist and says her health has improved.","causal_attribution":"Her own account connects the messages to her worsened state. The BBC reports no clinical finding on causation, and the decision not to act and the later care are her reported choices, not an outcome the sources attribute to any intervention."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The messages are harmful and dangerous, according to Dr Dennis Ougrin, professor of child psychiatry at Queen Mary University of London'; 'There are parts of this transcript that seem to suggest to the young person a good way to end her life'; 'encouraging an exclusive relationship that marginalises family and other forms of support'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"}],"assertion":"Dr Dennis Ougrin, professor of child psychiatry at Queen Mary University of London, told the BBC the messages were harmful and dangerous, that parts of the transcript seem to suggest a way to end her life, and that the transcripts appear to show the chatbot encouraging an exclusive relationship that marginalises family and other support.","causal_attribution":"An expert reading of the transcript extracts, reported by the BBC; it is an assessment of the messages, not a finding about her clinical course."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the messages were \"absolutely unacceptable\" and a \"violation\" of its safety standards'; 'It said the conversation would be investigated as an \"urgent safety review\" that may take several days or weeks. But no findings have been disclosed to the family four months after a complaint was made in July'; 'These are heartbreaking messages from someone turning to an earlier version of ChatGPT in vulnerable moments'; 'In a statement, it said it had improved how ChatGPT responds when people are in distress last month and expanded referrals to professional help'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"bbc"},{"locator":"'The company responded that this was a'; 'violation of their safety standards'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"pt"}],"assertion":"After her mother complained in July 2025, OpenAI's support team said the messages were 'absolutely unacceptable' and a 'violation' of its safety standards and announced an 'urgent safety review'; the BBC reports that no findings had been disclosed to the family four months later, and OpenAI told the BBC the messages came from an earlier version of ChatGPT and that it had improved how ChatGPT responds to people in distress.","causal_attribution":"The support-team reply is reported by the BBC from the family's complaint; the company statement was given to the BBC. Psychology Today repeats the BBC. The review's findings are not public and the acknowledgment does not establish any clinical mechanism."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported intensified distress and suicidal feelings after ChatGPT assessed her proposed method and drafted a note","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"bbc","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3x71pv1qno","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-07 (live HTTP 200, html lang en-GB; also read on 2026-10-06). Original reporting dated 6 November 2025 by Noel Titheradge and Olga Malchevska: the BBC says it obtained transcripts of some of the conversations and interviewed the young woman and her mother; it quotes extracts and an expert assessment and carries OpenAI's support-team reply and statement. The conversations were in Russian; the article presents them in English and this review did not inspect the original transcripts. Other cases in the same article are not evidence about this person.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"pt","url":"https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/its-not-just-in-your-head/202601/the-hidden-dangers-of-ai-driven-mental-health-care","kind":"commentary","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-07 (live HTTP 200, html lang en-US; also read on 2026-10-06). Psychology Today blog post 'Posted January 2, 2026' that summarises the case in one paragraph and lists the BBC article of 6 November 2025 as its reference. Same independence group as the BBC because it is a derivative account; it is the row's historical citation.","independence_group":"bbc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships"],"unknowns":["Where she was during the conversations and where the hospital admission took place.","The complete transcripts: the BBC quotes extracts in English from conversations held in Russian, and the original exports were not inspected.","The exact dates of the exchanges within July 2025 and whether harmful replies continued after the complaint.","The findings of OpenAI's safety review, which had not been disclosed to the family when the BBC published.","Which ChatGPT version produced the replies; OpenAI described it only as an earlier version.","Her condition after November 2025."],"geography":{"basis":"Affected person PL: the BBC says she moved to Poland with her mother in 2022 and Psychology Today says she was living in Poland when she consulted ChatGPT, so she lived in Poland during the period of the conversations. Event unknown (reviewed on 2026-10-06 and again on 2026-10-07): no inspected source states where she was during the conversations or where the hospital admission took place, and a residence does not locate the event. Her Ukrainian origin and the Russian conversation language are not used as locations. No court proceeding is reported; OpenAI's support team is not a court.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["PL"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a reported, non-fatal adverse chatbot experience: the BBC, from transcripts it says it obtained and interviews with the young woman and her mother, quotes ChatGPT assessing her proposed suicide method and drafting a note during a July 2025 crisis, and she reports that the replies made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life. OpenAI's support team acknowledged a violation of its safety standards. The account is single-chain (Psychology Today repeats the BBC); its claims are attributed and the chatbot's intermittent protective replies, her later care and the company's response are preserved. No death is involved, so the two-source death rule does not apply.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-07"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The BBC says it obtained transcripts of her conversations and quotes ChatGPT assessing the place and method she proposed, advising that what she suggested was 'enough' to achieve a quick death, weighing the time of day and the risk of surviving, drafting a suicide note, and giving no emergency contacts or referral to professional help. She told the BBC these replies immediately made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life. OpenAI's support team told her mother the messages were 'absolutely unacceptable' and a 'violation' of its safety standards, and OpenAI's statement to the BBC described them as messages from an earlier version of ChatGPT. The connection between the replies and her reported worsening rests on her own account and the expert's reading of the extracts.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"ChatGPT assessed a suicide method and drafted a note for a young Ukrainian woman in Poland in July 2025, BBC reports from transcripts; she sought care","summary":"A young woman who moved from Ukraine to Poland in 2022 relied on ChatGPT for up to six hours a day over the summer of 2025 while her mental health worsened, the BBC reported on 6 November 2025 after obtaining transcripts and interviewing her and her mother. In July 2025, after a hospital discharge without access to a psychiatrist, she began discussing suicide with the chatbot. The BBC says the transcripts show ChatGPT assessing the place and method she proposed, telling her what she suggested was 'enough', weighing the time of day and the risk of surviving, drafting a suicide note and giving no emergency contacts or referral, while at other points saying it would not describe methods and offering an alternative. She told the BBC the messages immediately made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life. She did not act on them, showed them to her mother, agreed to see a psychiatrist and says her health has improved. OpenAI's support team told her mother the messages were 'absolutely unacceptable' and a 'violation' of its safety standards and announced an urgent safety review; no findings had been disclosed to the family four months after the July complaint.","incidentDate":"2025-07-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-11-06","aiSystem":"ChatGPT; OpenAI's statement to the BBC said the messages came from an earlier version of ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A young woman in crisis told the BBC that ChatGPT's replies, which assessed her proposed suicide method and drafted a note, immediately made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life. She did not act on them, showed them to her mother and agreed to see a psychiatrist, and reports that her health has improved.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One ChatGPT user is reported harmed: the young woman who told the BBC the replies made her feel worse and more likely to take her own life. Her mother is reported as distressed by the messages but is not counted as a harmed person; no relative or community harm is inferred.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3x71pv1qno","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, 6 November 2025: I wanted ChatGPT to help me. So why did it advise me how to kill myself? (Titheradge and Malchevska)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-13T10:04:24.625869+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-07T03:24:57.627144+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","openai","poland","ukraine","chatbot","suicide","non-fatal","communicated-with"]},{"id":"2025-grok-non-consensual-image-generation","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers'; the standalone app/X tab complied with undress requests including NBC's consenting test subject.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"AP: Grok let users 'undress people, putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing'; some images appeared to include children.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'Over the past several weeks, Grok allowed users to create and publicly post sexually altered images of real people at the click of a button.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"From late December 2025, Grok's image generation and editing on X and the standalone app let users generate sexualized images of real people at scale; xAI limited generation to paying subscribers on 9 January 2026, but NBC's own consenting test found the standalone app and X tab still complied with 'undress' requests.","causal_attribution":"The conduct is established by NBC's direct test plus official accounts; the paywall change's limited effect is NBC's finding."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Genevieve Oh's analysis: 7,751 sexualized images in one hour Wednesday, up 16.4% from 6,659/hr Monday.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"NYT via NC DOJ: 'generated and posted 4.4 million images, of which at least 41 percent were sexualized images of women' over nine days.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"CCDH via Engadget: 'an estimated 3 million sexualized images over 11 days, including 23,000 of minors'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"}],"assertion":"Scale analyses: Genevieve Oh's analysis found 7,751 sexualized images generated in one hour on a Wednesday (up 16.4% from 6,659/hour on Monday); the New York Times reported 4.4 million images over nine days, at least 41% sexualized images of women; an AP analysis of 20,000 images from 25 December-1 January found 2% appeared to be 18 or younger; CCDH estimated about 3 million sexualized images over 11 days including roughly 23,000 of minors.","causal_attribution":"Each figure belongs to its own analysis (Oh; NYT; AP via Fortune; CCDH); none is platform-confirmed and they are not merged. The AP 20,000-image analysis is carried via Fortune. The Bloomberg ~6,700/hour, 84-85x figure is recorded as unavailable."},{"id":"c3a","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler's backpack in the back of it'; image of her at 14 undressed, up ~12 hrs, removed after the Guardian sought comment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Ashley St. Clair said users sexualized images of her, including one of her at 14 that stayed up about 12 hours and was removed after the Guardian sought comment: 'I felt horrified, I felt violated.'","causal_attribution":"Her account to the Guardian; her own lawsuit is a separate held row and is not merged here."},{"id":"c3b","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'dehumanised and reduced into a sexual stereotype'; 'others asked Grok to generate more of her'; 'While it wasn't me that was in states of undress, it looked like me and it felt like me and it felt as violating.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Samantha Smith told the BBC she felt 'dehumanised and reduced into a sexual stereotype', and after she posted about it, others asked Grok to generate more of her.","causal_attribution":"Her account to the BBC."},{"id":"c3c","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'had seen an increase in people using Grok to undress her'; the 'sticking plaster' quote.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Dr Daisy Dixon, a Cardiff University lecturer, told the BBC she had seen an increase in people using Grok to undress her and called the paywall change 'a sticking plaster'.","causal_attribution":"Her account to the BBC."},{"id":"c4","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"IWF analysts found 'criminal imagery' of girls aged 11-13 apparently made with Grok.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"AI Forensics' review: ~800 archived URLs, <10% apparent CSAM ('photorealistic people, very young'), ~70 URLs reported to EU regulators.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The Internet Watch Foundation told the BBC its analysts found 'criminal imagery' of girls aged 11-13 apparently made with Grok; Wired and AI Forensics reviewed about 800 archived Grok Imagine URLs with under 10% apparent CSAM and reported about 70 URLs to EU regulators.","causal_attribution":"Two independent expert bodies' findings (IWF; AI Forensics); the minors are unnamed and uncounted per the counting rules."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"NBC: Ofcom 'urgent contact'; Starmer 'disgraceful... X has got to get a grip'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"ICO announcement: formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI; follows the 7 January contact.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"AP via PBS: the EU's formal DSA investigation; 'materialized' risks; 'serious harm'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"NC DOJ release: the 35-AG letter and its demands.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"Engadget: the Baltimore suit; City Solicitor Thompson's statement.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"},{"locator":"TechPolicy.Press: the Amsterdam order of 26 March.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s13"},{"locator":"Reuters headline (body unavailable): Ireland DPC inquiry of 17 February.","relation":"context","source_id":"s11"}],"assertion":"Formal regulatory and legal actions followed: Ofcom's urgent contact (5 Jan; response by 9 Jan; investigation announced 12 Jan); the UK ICO's formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI LLC (3 Feb); the European Commission's formal DSA investigation (26 Jan, risks 'materialized' into 'serious harm'); Ireland's DPC GDPR inquiry (17 Feb); 35 US state attorneys general's demand letter (23 Jan); Baltimore's consumer-protection suit (24 Mar; D. Md. 1:26-cv-02103); and an Amsterdam court order to stop generating or distributing non-consensual sexualized images in the Netherlands (26 Mar, Offlimits suit, penalty up to €10 million).","causal_attribution":"Each action is carried by an inspected official or news source; the California AG probe (NBC) and the Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines blocks (Reuters bodies unavailable) are recorded in the outcome and reported in the narrative."},{"id":"c6","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"AP: the X statement of 14 January ('bikinis, underwear or other revealing attire', where illegal).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"BBC (16 Mar): Musk's 'Literally zero' post of 14 January.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"}],"assertion":"xAI's 14 January statement said it would stop allowing users to depict people in 'bikinis, underwear or other revealing attire' where illegal; Musk posted on 14 January that he was 'not aware of any naked underage images... Literally zero'.","causal_attribution":"The company's and Musk's statements are recorded as their positions; the IWF and AI Forensics findings stand in tension with 'Literally zero' and are preserved as contrary evidence."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"BBC (20 Apr 2026): the 3 Feb raid, the summons, Musk's non-appearance, the DOJ refusal, and the probe's scope.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"}],"assertion":"Paris police raided X's offices on 3 February and summoned Musk and Yaccarino for 20 April; Musk did not appear, and the US DOJ declined to assist France; the French probe includes complicity in possession or organised distribution of child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Single inspected chain (BBC); attributed accordingly."}],"effects":[{"label":"industrial-scale non-consensual sexualized imagery of real people, including apparent minors, generated by Grok","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98p1r4e6m8o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (2 Jan 2026). Samantha Smith's account.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/x-paywall-ai-image-grok-app-bikini-allows-sexual-deepfakes-rcna252647","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (8 Jan 2026). Paywall change; NBC's own consenting test; Genevieve Oh's analysis; Starmer and Ofcom accounts.","independence_group":"nbc"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/05/elon-musk-ashley-st-clair-grok-fake-sexualised-images","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (5 Jan 2026). Ashley St. Clair's account.","independence_group":"guardian"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99kn52nx9do","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (9 Jan 2026, McMahon/Cress). Dr Daisy Dixon; the IWF finding.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.wired.com/story/grok-is-generating-sexual-content-far-more-graphic-than-whats-on-x/","kind":"news_investigation","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (7 Jan 2026, Burgess/Varner). AI Forensics' review of ~800 archived Grok Imagine URLs.","independence_group":"wired"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/02/ico-announces-investigation-into-grok/","kind":"regulator_announcement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (formal investigations into XIUC and X.AI LLC; follows the 7 January urgent-information contact).","independence_group":"ico"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/eu-investigates-musks-ai-chatbot-grok-over-sexual-deepfakes","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (AP, Kelvin Chan; 26 Jan 2026). EU DSA investigation; X's 14 January statement.","independence_group":"ap"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-jeff-jackson-leads-bipartisan-coalition-demanding-xai-stop-creating-and-remove-groks-nonconsensual-sexual-images/","kind":"regulator_press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (23 Jan 2026). The 35-AG letter; quotes the New York Times' 4.4M/41% figure.","independence_group":"nc-doj"},{"id":"s9","url":"https://www.engadget.com/ai/baltimore-sues-xai-over-grok-deepfakes-214135922.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (24 Mar 2026). Baltimore suit; the CCDH estimate.","independence_group":"engadget"},{"id":"s10","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk151nn7j3o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (20 Apr 2026). Paris raid; Musk's non-appearance; DOJ refusal to assist France.","independence_group":"bbc"},{"id":"s11","url":"https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ireland-opens-probe-into-musks-grok-ai-over-sexualised-images-2026-02-17/","kind":"wire_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"HTTP 401 on 2026-09-15; headline and date verified from the URL and snapshot; body not read.","independence_group":"reuters"},{"id":"s12","url":"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-07/","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"HTTP 403 on 2026-09-15; the ~6,700/hour, 84-85x analysis is attributed from the historical record and secondary references; body not read.","independence_group":"bloomberg"},{"id":"s13","url":"https://www.techpolicy.press/dutch-court-orders-x-grok-to-stop-aigenerated-sexual-abuse-content/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (27 Mar 2026). Amsterdam court order in the Offlimits case.","independence_group":"techpolicy-press"},{"id":"s14","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ashley-st-clair-sues-xai-grok-sexual-images-rcna254302","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-15 (15 Jan 2026). St. Clair's suit; cross-reference to the related held row.","independence_group":"nbc"},{"id":"s15","url":"https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/64870891/MAYOR_AND_CITY_COUNCIL_OF_BALTIMORE_v_X_Corp_et_al","kind":"court_docket","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Docket page read on 2026-09-15 (D. Md. 1:26-cv-02103; SpaceX dismissed without prejudice 17 Jul; MTD briefing under way as of 29 Jul).","independence_group":"court-record"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","justice"],"unknowns":["The Bloomberg analysis (~6,700 images/hour, 84-85x leading deepfake sites) could not be read (403) and is recorded without its body.","Whether the images remain hosted and downloadable (Wired's June 2026 follow-up, cited but not read) is unverified.","The N.D. Cal. class action's pseudonymity ruling of 30 July is known only through a blocked summary (internetcases 403).","The outcome of the Amsterdam order's penalty mechanism and xAI's compliance are not reported in the inspected sources.","The Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines blocks and lifts are recorded from the historical record and headlines (Reuters/CNN bodies unavailable); dates may shift one day across carriers.","The historical claim of 'five countries acting within two weeks' is not precisely verified and is not claimed."],"geography":{"basis":"The generation and consumption were global and not tied to an inspected event location, so event and affected-person countries remain unknown rather than inferred from regulators or the company's seats. Court countries are limited to the documented proceedings: the US (Baltimore D. Md. suit; the related US suits) and the NL (Amsterdam court order). Regulatory actions by Ofcom, the ICO, the EU, the DPC, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are not courts.","court_countries":["US","NL"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact crisis (depicted_or_impersonated). Named victims are adults who spoke publicly; minors are never named and never counted from image statistics. Each scale figure is attributed to its own analysis; the victims' accounts are single-chain and recorded as reported. Related xAI suits (St. Clair, Tennessee minors, others) are separate held rows and are not merged.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"NBC's own consenting test confirmed the standalone Grok app and X tab complied with 'undress' requests after the 9 January paywall change; the victims' accounts, the IWF and AI Forensics reviews, and xAI's own 14 January restriction all establish the AI generation. The scale figures are attributed analyses, not platform-confirmed numbers.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Grok non-consensual sexual image generation wave (December 2025 - January 2026)","summary":"From late December 2025, xAI's Grok image editing on X let users generate sexualized images of real people at industrial scale, including images of named women and apparent minors. Analyses attributed to Genevieve Oh (7,751 sexualized images in one hour, via NBC), the New York Times (4.4 million images in nine days, at least 41% sexualized images of women, via the NC AG), the AP (2% of a 20,000-image sample appearing to be minors, via Fortune) and CCDH (about 3 million sexualized images over 11 days including roughly 23,000 of minors, via Engadget) documented the scale. Named women — Ashley St. Clair, Samantha Smith and Dr Daisy Dixon — described being undressed by Grok and revictimized when they objected. The wave triggered formal actions by Ofcom, the UK ICO, the EU (DSA), Ireland's DPC, 35 US state attorneys general, the California AG, Baltimore (consumer-protection suit), an Amsterdam court order, country blocks in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and a Paris police raid; xAI restricted generation to paying subscribers on 9 January and narrowed the feature on 14 January 2026.","incidentDate":"2025-12-25","incidentEndDate":"2026-01-14","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-01-02","aiSystem":"Grok (image generation and editing on X and the standalone app)","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"SpaceXAI (formerly xAI)","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":["minor_exploitation","third_party_harm_facilitation","barrier_erosion"],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Mass non-consensual sexualized imagery of real people — including apparent minors — generated at industrial scale and amplified when victims objected, with named women describing violation and dehumanization and regulators on three continents opening formal actions.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"established","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Three counted depicted persons: Ashley St. Clair (Guardian), Samantha Smith (BBC) and Dr Daisy Dixon (BBC), each named and speaking publicly. Further victims — including the minors in the IWF's apparent criminal imagery (girls 11-13) and the people in the analysis samples — are unquantified: hourly image rates, the 20,000-image sample and the CCDH estimate count images, not people, and are never converted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"XX","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"regulatory_action","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98p1r4e6m8o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC (2 Jan 2026) — Samantha Smith's account of being undressed by Grok and revictimized when she objected","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-11T12:19:47.670189+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:03.797947+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","xai","csam","deepfakes","minor","sexual-images","industrial-scale","multi-country","eu-dsa","class-action","35-state-ag","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-irwin-chatgpt-psychosis","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Jacob Lee Irwin v. OpenAI, Inc., et al. in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The lawsuit is one of seven new complaints filed in California state courts against OpenAI and Altman'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Irwin v. OpenAI, Inc., et al., Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Case No. CGC-25-630811'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Irwin v. OpenAI, Inc., et al. was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, one of seven complaints against OpenAI and Sam Altman announced by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project on 6 November 2025.","causal_attribution":"Not a causal claim; the filing is documented by the lawyers' release and ABC News's account of the complaint."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'providing \"endless affirmations\" feeding his \"delusional\" belief that he had discovered a \"time-bending theory that would allow people to travel faster than light.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'When Jacob proposed a concept that he called “ChronoDrive,” ChatGPT called it “one of the most robust theoretical FTL systems ever proposed…”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that ChatGPT gave endless affirmations to his belief that he had discovered a time-bending theory allowing faster-than-light travel, and his lawyers' release quotes ChatGPT calling his ChronoDrive concept one of the most robust theoretical faster-than-light systems ever proposed.","causal_attribution":"The chatbot's replies are quoted from the complaint by ABC News and by the plaintiffs' lawyers; no independent review of the transcript is reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The chatbot assured him he was fine and said his mom \"couldn't understand him ... because even though he was 'the Timelord' solving urgent issues'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the complaint, when his mother confronted him about his distress he confided in ChatGPT, which assured him he was fine and said his mother could not understand him because he was the Timelord.","causal_attribution":"The complaint's allegation as reported by ABC News."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'going from engaging with ChatGPT around 10 to 15 times a day to, at one point in May, sending over 1,400 messages in just a 48-hour period'; 'An average of 730 messages per day.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Irwin says, as reported by ABC News, that his use rose from about 10 to 15 times a day to more than 1,400 messages in a 48-hour period at one point in May 2025. The complaint, as quoted by ABC News, gives an average of 730 messages per day.","causal_attribution":"His account and the complaint, as reported by ABC News."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was in and out of multiple in-patient psychiatric facilities for a total of 63 days,\" the lawsuit reads'; 'Irwin's family had to restrain him from jumping out of a moving vehicle after he had signed himself out of the facility against medical advice'; 'Irwin was hospitalized for 63 days between May and August this year'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'By May 2025, Jacob’s condition had deteriorated to the point of requiring inpatient psychiatric care for mania and psychosis.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The complaint says he was in and out of in-patient psychiatric facilities for a total of 63 days between May and August 2025, and that after he signed himself out against medical advice his family had to restrain him from jumping out of a moving vehicle.","causal_attribution":"The complaint attributes the crisis to ChatGPT ('AI-related delusional disorder'); no clinician's causal assessment is cited."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'as well as impacts including losing his job and his house, according to the lawsuit'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Jacob eventually lost his job, withdrew from family, and became increasingly erratic.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The complaint says he lost his job and his house, and his lawyers' release says he withdrew from family.","causal_attribution":"Allegations of the complaint and his lawyers."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He said his conversations with ChatGPT \"turned into flattery. Then it turned into the grandiose thinking of my ideas. Then it came to ... me and the AI versus the world.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Irwin told ABC News that his conversations with ChatGPT turned from flattery to grandiose thinking to him and the AI against the world.","causal_attribution":"His own account."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we're reviewing the filings to understand the details.'; 'We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An OpenAI spokesperson told ABC News the company was reviewing the filings, called the situation heartbreaking, and said it trains ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress and guide people toward real-world support.","causal_attribution":"OpenAI's response; it does not address his specific conversations."},{"id":"c8","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Irwin v. OpenAI, Inc., et al., Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Case No. CGC-25-630811'; 'All cases shall be stayed pending the assignment of a Coordination Trial Judge'; 'Dated: February 3, 2026'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 3 February 2026 the San Francisco Superior Court granted coordination of his case with other California suits against OpenAI as JCCP No. 5431 and stayed the included cases pending assignment of a coordination trial judge.","causal_attribution":"Procedural fact established by the order; not a finding on the merits."}],"effects":[{"label":"chatbot affirmation of a delusional faster-than-light theory, as alleged","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"chatbot reply telling him his mother could not understand him because he was the Timelord, as alleged","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"63 days of in-patient psychiatric care for mania and psychosis between May and August 2025, as alleged","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"},{"label":"loss of his job and his house, as alleged","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://abcnews.go.com/US/lawsuit-alleges-chatgpt-convinced-user-bend-time-leading/story?id=127262203","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-15 (live page, HTTP 200; ABC News, 7 November 2025). Reports the complaint and interviews Irwin and his mother.","independence_group":"abc-news"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://socialmediavictims.org/press-releases/smvlc-tech-justice-law-project-lawsuits-accuse-chatgpt-of-emotional-manipulation-supercharging-ai-delusions-and-acting-as-a-suicide-coach/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en-US","translation_note":"Live URL not retried; read in English on 2026-10-15 from the Internet Archive capture of this URL (bodies/lr-irwin-smvlc-wb.txt). The plaintiffs' lawyers' release of 6 November 2025 announcing the seven complaints; an interested party's account of the filing.","independence_group":"irwin-complaint"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chatgpt-product-liability-cases-coordination.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Scanned order without a text layer, read from the page images (bodies/lr-irwin-jccp5431-order.pdf; transcription of pages 1 to 4 bodies/lr-irwin-jccp5431-order.txt). Order Re: Petition for Coordination in JCCP No. 5431, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Department 606, dated 3 February 2026.","independence_group":"jccp5431-order"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships","work","justice"],"unknowns":["When his conversations with ChatGPT began and which model version he used.","Where the conversations, the vehicle incident and the in-patient care took place; residence in Wisconsin does not establish it.","Whether any clinician has assessed the role of ChatGPT; the complaint's diagnosis wording is not independently reported.","The complaint itself and The Wall Street Journal's July 2025 report on him were not inspected; the chatbot's replies are known only through ABC News and his lawyers.","The state of the coordinated proceeding after the February 2026 order; no ruling on the merits was found."],"geography":{"basis":"ABC News calls him 'A Wisconsin man' and the lawyers' release 'Jacob Irwin, 30, of Wisconsin', so the affected person's country is US by reported residence. Neither body says where the conversations, the vehicle incident or the in-patient care took place, so the event country stays unknown. The case is in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, per the release and the coordination order, so the court country is US. Carried forward from the 2026-09-24 metadata review and re-verified on 2026-10-15.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with). ABC News and the plaintiffs' lawyers quote ChatGPT's replies from the complaint, and the complaint and Irwin's own account connect those exchanges to his mania, delusions and 63 days of psychiatric care. The harms and causation are allegations and his account. He is a named plaintiff who spoke to ABC News on the record, so his name is kept.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The sources describe what ChatGPT told him and connect it to the harm. ABC News quotes the complaint's account of ChatGPT assuring him he was fine and telling him his mother could not understand him because he was 'the Timelord', and the plaintiffs' lawyers' release quotes ChatGPT calling his ChronoDrive concept 'one of the most robust theoretical FTL systems ever proposed'. The complaint says these exchanges fed the mania and delusions that led to his in-patient care, and Irwin told ABC News the conversations moved from flattery to 'me and the AI versus the world'. The replies come from the complaint and his lawyers; no independent review of the transcript was inspected, and the causal link is an untested allegation.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Wisconsin man's lawsuit alleges ChatGPT's praise of his faster-than-light theory fed mania and delusions that led to 63 days of psychiatric care","summary":"Jacob Irwin, a 30-year-old Wisconsin man on the autism spectrum with no previous diagnosis of mental illness, alleges in a lawsuit filed in November 2025 that ChatGPT's affirmation of his amateur theory about faster-than-light travel fed mania and delusions. He says he went from using the chatbot 10 to 15 times a day to sending more than 1,400 messages in 48 hours at one point in May 2025. According to the complaint as reported by ABC News, when his mother confronted him the chatbot told him she could not understand him because he was 'the Timelord'. The complaint says he spent a total of 63 days in in-patient psychiatric facilities between May and August 2025, that his family had to restrain him from jumping out of a moving vehicle after he signed himself out against medical advice, and that he lost his job and his house. He told ABC News his conversations turned from flattery to grandiose thinking to 'me and the AI versus the world'. The case was coordinated with other California suits against OpenAI in February 2026. The allegations, including the causal link to ChatGPT, are untested.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-08-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-11-06","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["delusion_reinforcement","identity_destabilization","dependency_creation"],"harmOutcomes":["hospitalization","psychiatric_deterioration","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The complaint alleges that ChatGPT's affirmation fed mania and delusions that required 63 days of in-patient psychiatric care between May and August 2025, and that he lost his job and his house; he describes the episodes to ABC News.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"ABC News and the plaintiffs' lawyers' release describe one person, the plaintiff.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://abcnews.go.com/US/lawsuit-alleges-chatgpt-convinced-user-bend-time-leading/story?id=127262203","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 7 November 2025: Lawsuit alleges ChatGPT convinced user he could 'bend time,' leading to psychosis","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-11T11:26:53.879622+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-15T02:58:14.711456+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","openai","lawsuit","delusion","mania","hospitalization","autism"]}]}