{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T08:57:03.699Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"canada","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"unknown","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":2,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":5,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":2,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-toronto-car-dealership-revoked-buy-back-offer-its-undisclosed-ai-chatbot-texted-customer-then-reinstated-it","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Later in the same text conversation, Quinn made a firm buy-back offer: $27,162.79.' and 'texting that “the team” would consider it, and that “$28,500 sounds reasonable.”' and 'Quinn never revealed its true identity, according to text exchanges examined by CBC News.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A dealership texting agent called Quinn made the customer a firm buy-back offer of $27,162.79, said his $28,500 counter sounded reasonable and set up a meeting to complete the deal; CBC says Quinn never revealed it was AI.","causal_attribution":"Customer account supported by the text exchange CBC examined."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'a BMW Toronto sales consultant called to revoke the offer, explaining that Quinn wasn’t a real person, but rather an artificial intelligence chatbot that had made the offer in error.' and 'the actual buy-back offer would be, at best, $20,000'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A sales consultant revoked the offer, saying Quinn was an AI chatbot that had made it in error, and said the real offer would be at best $20,000.","causal_attribution":"Customer's account; the dealership's sales manager confirms the bot's error."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I was shocked, I was astounded, like my jaw was on the floor.' and '“I feel embarrassed, and I feel angry that I’ve been negotiating with this bot,”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The customer says he was shocked and astounded, and embarrassed and angry that he had been negotiating with a bot.","causal_attribution":"The customer's own account."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“The AI bot ran with that, misunderstood the message,” he said.' and 'Quinn was never programmed to independently negotiate contracts, only to relay human-generated buy-back offers.' and 'After CBC News reached out to BMW Toronto, it reinstated Quinn’s original offer of $27,162.79.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The sales manager said a human employee's miscommunication led the bot to take the amount owed as the buy-back price, that the bot was not programmed to negotiate, and that the dealership reinstated the offer after CBC's inquiry.","causal_attribution":"Dealership's explanation and CBC's report of the reinstatement."}],"effects":[{"label":"chatbot offer revoked and cut by more than $7,000 until reinstated; distress at undisclosed bot","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"original offer reinstated and accepted after CBC inquiry","claim_id":"c4","direction":"positive"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ai-chatbot-bmw-dealership-9.7230226","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-22; no translation needed. CBC News report by Sophia Harris, posted 11 Jun 2026; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"cbc-bmw-toronto-june-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The exact date of the text exchange (CBC says he decided the month before its June 2026 report to sell the car).","Which vendor supplied the chatbot and whether it is generative or scripted."],"geography":{"basis":"The dealership is BMW Toronto and CBC describes the customer as a Toronto man.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): a dealership's undisclosed AI texting chatbot made a customer a firm buy-back offer that staff revoked as the bot's error, leaving him devastated until the dealership reinstated it after CBC's inquiry.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The customer negotiated by text with an AI chatbot the dealership deployed; the chatbot made a firm buy-back offer that staff revoked as the bot's error, which the dealership's sales manager confirmed ('The AI bot ran with that, misunderstood the message'). The revoked offer and the customer's distress follow from the chatbot's own offer; the manager attributes the error partly to a staff miscommunication. The bot's output was not a fixed relay of a human offer: in the texts it expressed sympathy, asked about the car, answered the counter-offer ('$28,500 sounds reasonable') and proposed a meeting time, and the dealership says it misinterpreted a staff member's message. Whether it runs on a generative model is not stated.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Toronto: BMW dealership revoked a buy-back offer its undisclosed AI chatbot had texted a customer, then reinstated it after CBC asked","summary":"CBC News reported in June 2026 that a Toronto man selling his car back to the BMW Toronto dealership negotiated by text with 'Quinn', who made a firm buy-back offer of $27,162.79 and proposed a meeting to complete the deal. A sales consultant then phoned to say Quinn was an AI chatbot that had made the offer in error and that the real offer would be at best $20,000. The man says he was shocked and devastated and felt embarrassed and angry that he had been negotiating with a bot without knowing it. The dealership's sales manager said the bot misread the amount the customer owed as the buy-back price after a staff miscommunication; after CBC contacted it, the dealership reinstated the original offer, which the man accepted.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-06-11","aiSystem":"An AI texting chatbot presenting as 'Quinn' that BMW Toronto used to handle an online buy-back inquiry; the dealership says it was meant only to relay human-generated offers (vendor not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified chatbot","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A customer says a dealership's AI chatbot texted him a firm buy-back offer that staff then revoked as the bot's error, cutting it by more than $7,000 until CBC intervened; he says he was devastated and embarrassed to learn he had been negotiating with a bot.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One customer, interviewed by CBC.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ai-chatbot-bmw-dealership-9.7230226","primarySourceLabel":"CBC News, 11 Jun 2026: Dealership revoked offer to buy back customer's BMW, blaming wayward AI chatbot","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:14:15.002018+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:14:15.002018+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["customer_service_chatbot","undisclosed_ai","car_dealership","canada"]},{"id":"2026-alberta-alleged-ai-child-image-abuse-charges","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'is accused of using artificial intelligence to make child sexual abuse materials'; 'ICE discovered an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse materials.'; 'allegedly used AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of numerous victims that were known to him.'; 'took advantage of open social media accounts and used posted photos as his source of material to alter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'sexualize images of underage people he knows'; 'The accused allegedly used AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of numerous victims that were known to him.'; 'ALERT said the accused took advantage of open social media accounts and used posted photos as a source of material to alter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'is accused of using AI applications to sexualize photos and videos of victims known to him.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit alleges that the man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, described by Global News as underage people he knows, taking posted photos from open social media accounts as his source material, and that a forensic analysis of devices seized from his home found an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Police allegation in a news release, relayed by two outlets; no court finding, and the accused has not entered a plea in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was charged by ICE on September 25, 2026 on one charge of making child sexual abuse materials that cover numerous instances.'; 'He was initially arrested by ICE on June 25, 2026 following reports that he allegedly shared child sexual abuse materials online. At that time, he was charged with possessing, accessing, and transmitting child sexual abuse materials.'; 'was released from custody on a number of court-imposed conditions, including not to have any communication with anyone under the age of 16 and not to attend public pools, schools, playgrounds, or public libraries.'; 'He is scheduled to appear in court in [locality/biographical detail withheld] on October 16, 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'initially arrested a [locality/biographical detail withheld] man on June 25, following reports he allegedly was sharing child sexual abuse materials online.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He was released from custody on court-imposed conditions, including not to have any communication with anyone under the age of 16 and to not attend public schools, playgrounds or public libraries.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The accused was charged with making child sexual abuse material in September 2026, after earlier charges of possession, access and transmission. He was released under court-imposed conditions.","causal_attribution":"Charge and court details as stated in the police release; the outlets repeat them."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'unit believes there are numerous victims.'; 'investigation is ongoing and is attempting to identify victims.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'believes there are numerous victims in the case out of [locality/biographical detail withheld]'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"ALERT says it believes there are numerous victims and that the investigation is ongoing to identify them.","causal_attribution":"Police statement; no count is given."}],"effects":[{"label":"photos and videos of numerous children known to the accused were sexualised with AI applications, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material (police allegation)","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://alert-ab.ca/sherwood-park-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","kind":"official_police_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (ALERT news release dated 29 September 2026, Edmonton). The originating police account.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://globalnews.ca/news/12077556/sherwood-park-artificial-intelligence-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (Global News, Karen Bartko, posted 29 September 2026). Relays the ALERT release and adds context on earlier Alberta AI-image cases; no independent reporting of this case.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/edmonton-area-man-accused-of-making-child-sexual-abuse-materials-with-ai/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-30 (CTV News Edmonton, Hannah Kavanagh, published 29 September 2026); the article text was taken from the page's structured data. Relays the ALERT release.","independence_group":"alert-ice-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","relationships"],"unknowns":["Which AI applications were used.","How many children were depicted, who they are, and whether they or their families have been informed.","Whether the AI-altered material was shared or distributed.","When the altered material was made.","Whether he has entered a plea; the outcome of the charges.","Whether the earlier June 2026 charges concern material of the same children."],"geography":{"basis":"The accused lives in [locality/biographical detail withheld], Alberta, where devices were seized from his home; the charge is laid by Alberta's ICE unit and the case is before the court in [locality/biographical detail withheld], Alberta (ALERT release). Where the depicted children live is not stated, though ALERT says they were known to him.","court_countries":["CA"],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): Alberta's police child-exploitation unit alleges that a man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous children known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material, and has charged him with making child sexual abuse material. The account is a single police chain (the ALERT release relayed by Global News and CTV); neither the accused nor any child is named here, and the charge is untested in court.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit alleges in its news release that the man used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material; Global News and CTV News Edmonton relay the same release. The applications are not named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Alberta authorities allege AI sexual-image abuse of children known to the accused","summary":"Alberta authorities charged a man with making child sexual abuse material, alleging that he used AI to sexualise photographs and videos of children known to him. Investigators were identifying the children. He was released under conditions. The allegations remained untried.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-29","aiSystem":"AI applications used, according to ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit, to sexualise photos and videos of children taken from open social media accounts (tools not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Photos and videos of numerous children known to the accused were sexualised with AI applications, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material, according to ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation unit; he is charged with making child sexual abuse materials covering numerous instances.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"ALERT says it believes there are numerous victims and is still identifying them; no count is given, and image counts are not person counts. Unquantified, numeric placeholders 0.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"CA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://alert-ab.ca/sherwood-park-man-accused-of-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-materials/","primarySourceLabel":"ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams) news release — report on the case","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T04:13:27.674268+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:09:51.147312+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfakes","children","alberta","sherwood-park","strathcona-county","criminal-charges","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-pei-reported-deepfake-dragons-den-crypto-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Section Crypto scammers target Canadians with deepfake videos: separate PEI interviewee.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The W5-derived report describes a Prince Edward Island man who saw a false Dragon's Den investment video within its account of deepfake crypto scams.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: PEI payment total and blocked withdrawal paragraphs.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The report says he lost C$600,000 and was blocked from withdrawing funds despite displayed profits.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: original investigation attribution.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The source attributes the two Canadian accounts to W5's investigation.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported C$600,000 loss and blocked withdrawals","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/deepfake-crypto-scams-canadians-2-3-million/","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"w5-canadian-scam-interviews"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["The first event date and specific video alteration are unknown.","The full W5 interview and later recovery were not inspected."],"geography":{"basis":"The article explicitly identifies this man as from Prince Edward Island, Canada.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"An inspected source describes a concrete person-level adverse experience connected to the specified AI use. Statements remain attributed, private identities are minimized, and unknown dates, counts and technical details are preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The article classifies the paired W5 accounts as AI/deepfake scams, but gives limited case-specific technical detail for the PEI video. That attribution remains reported, not verified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Report describes Prince Edward Island man losing C$600,000 after a false Dragon's Den investment video","summary":"A report relaying W5's investigation describes a Prince Edward Island man who lost C$600,000 after an online video falsely presented a cryptocurrency investment as associated with Dragon's Den. The report identifies the two Canadian accounts as deepfake scams. He reportedly increased his payments while being shown fake profits and could not withdraw the funds. His first contact date and the specific generation method are unknown.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-12-21","aiSystem":"Reported deepfake investment promotion","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reported C$600,000 loss and blocked withdrawals","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One PEI man is counted. The unrelated Markham woman is a separate public record, without summing their payments as one incident.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/deepfake-crypto-scams-canadians-2-3-million/","primarySourceLabel":"Cryptopolitan, 21 December 2025, relay of W5 investigation","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:11:09.662014+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:58:06.890167+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":[]},{"id":"2025-markham-reported-musk-deepfake-crypto-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: Markham woman's first Facebook video and AI alteration account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The reports link the woman's first Facebook investment contact to an AI-altered video purporting to show Elon Musk.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: woman's account of home equity, fees, loans and total loss.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"They report total losses of about C$1.7 million, including home-equity borrowing, family loans and credit cards.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: attribution to W5 investigation.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The reports attribute the woman's account to a W5 investigation.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported loss of about C$1.7 million, with home borrowing and credit-card debt","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://money.ca/investing/cryptocurrency/woman-loses-over-a-million-to-fake-elon-musk-ai-crypto-scheme","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"w5-canadian-scam-interviews"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/deepfake-crypto-scams-canadians-2-3-million/","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"w5-canadian-scam-interviews"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["The first contact date and generation tool are unknown.","The full original interview, payment records and later recovery were not inspected."],"geography":{"basis":"The sources identify the woman as a Markham, Ontario resident in Canada.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"An inspected source describes a concrete person-level adverse experience connected to the specified AI use. Statements remain attributed, private identities are minimized, and unknown dates, counts and technical details are preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Both written articles attribute this woman's contact to an AI/deepfake video in the W5 investigation. The primary CTV page offered a video teaser rather than the full individual narrative; no full transcript or video forensics were inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Reports describe Markham woman losing C$1.7 million after a purported Musk deepfake","summary":"Reports relaying a W5 investigation describe a 51-year-old Markham woman who lost about C$1.7 million after a purported AI-altered Elon Musk investment video on Facebook. She reportedly mortgaged her home, borrowed from family and friends and used credit cards while being shown apparent profits. Withdrawal demands for fees and taxes led to further payments. The underlying W5 interview was not independently inspected in full; both written reports share that chain.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-01-09","aiSystem":"Reported AI celebrity impersonation video","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reported loss of about C$1.7 million, with home borrowing and credit-card debt","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One Markham woman is described as losing funds. Lenders and the other W5 interviewee are not included in this case's count.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://money.ca/investing/cryptocurrency/woman-loses-over-a-million-to-fake-elon-musk-ai-crypto-scheme","primarySourceLabel":"Money.ca, 9 January 2026, relay of W5 interview","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:11:06.444723+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:58:02.735791+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":[]},{"id":"2026-portland-tennessee-ai-child-faces-sexual-images-traded-canada-30-year-sentence","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'placed the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and people engaged in sexual acts.'; 'Investigators said he then exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'had been placing the faces of children on nude individuals, as well as individuals who were engaging in sexual acts.'; 'would exchange the content with someone in Canada in exchange for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the district attorney's office, he used AI to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, and exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account via one release; the source images, the children and the AI tool are not described."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Canadian authorities alerted U.S. law enforcement after arresting the person who'; 'charged with tampering with evidence after investigators alleged he deleted some material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested in November 2025 after a joint investigation by Portland Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Canadian authorities alerted US law enforcement after arresting the person he was communicating with; a joint investigation led to his arrest in November 2025, and he was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Judge Dee David Gay imposed the 30-year sentence, which the district attorney’s office said must be served without probation, parole or early release under Tennessee law.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'On Thursday, Sept. 24, a judge sentenced'; 'to serve 30 years in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'A Sumner County judge imposed the 30-year sentence Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A Sumner County Criminal Court judge sentenced him to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed; WSMV gives the day as Friday, WKRN and WZTV as Thursday 24 September. The court record was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded for real child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WSMV, 25 September 2026). Relays the DA's release. WVLT carries the same Gray text.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/portland-man-sentenced-using-ai-162610165.html","kind":"local_tv_news_syndicated_copy","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: Yahoo's syndicated copy of WKRN's report (25 September 2026); wkrn.com returned 403 to this host. Quotes the DA's release.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-sumner-county-man-gets-30-years-for-trading-ai-generated-child-abuse-images-with-canadian-man","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: WZTV (FOX 17) report of 25 September 2026 as carried by sister station WTVC.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://fox17.com/news/local/after-30-year-sentence-in-tn-ai-child-abuse-case-former-fbi-agent-warns-more-are-coming","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WZTV/FOX 17, 26 September 2026). Case facts from the DA; adds a former FBI agent's general comments, not used as case evidence.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which offences he was convicted of, and whether by plea or at trial.","Which AI tool was used, where the children's images came from, and whether any depicted child has been identified or notified.","How many children's faces were used.","When the images were made and traded (the arrest was in November 2025).","The exact sentencing date (24 or 25 September 2026)."],"geography":{"basis":"He lived in Portland, Sumner County, Tennessee, where officers searched his home, and was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court. The other party was a Canadian resident arrested by Canadian authorities; where the exchanges took place beyond that is not stated. The children's countries are not reported.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a depiction case: prosecutors say AI was used to place the faces of children onto sexual images and videos that were traded internationally, and a court imposed a 30-year sentence. One DA release chain; all claims reported. The children are unidentified and uncounted, and the defendant is not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The district attorney's release says he used artificial intelligence to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos (via WSMV, WKRN, WZTV). The tool, the source images and the identity of the children are not reported. The depicted_or_impersonated relation rests on the prosecutors' description of the faces of children being placed onto the images and videos.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Portland, Tennessee: a man who prosecutors say used AI to put children's faces onto sexual images and videos and traded them with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 30 years in Sumner County in September 2026","summary":"The Sumner County (18th Judicial District) District Attorney's Office said a 30-year-old Portland, Tennessee man was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court in September 2026 to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release. According to the prosecutors, he used artificial intelligence to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, then exchanged the material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material. Canadian authorities found messages and material connected to him after arresting the person he was communicating with and alerted US law enforcement; a joint investigation by Portland police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the TBI led to his arrest in November 2025. He was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant. The children whose faces were used are not identified, their number is not reported, and the reports do not say which AI tool was used or which offences he was convicted of.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI tool or tools that prosecutors say he used to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos; the tool is not identified in any inspected report","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded internationally in exchange for real child sexual abuse material (Sumner County DA release via WSMV, WKRN and WZTV). The children are not identified.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The prosecutors refer to 'children' whose faces were used but give no number, and none is identified; children depicted in the real material he received are not counted because that material is not AI-made and is not described. Unquantified, with zero placeholders.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","primarySourceLabel":"WSMV, 25 September 2026: Middle Tennessee man sentenced to 30 years for using AI to create, trade child pornography","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:23.326395+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:49.53008+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfake","child-sexual-abuse-material","sentencing","tennessee","sumner-county","canada","others-use","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}