{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-02T16:34:11.483Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"dismissed","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":8,"coverage":{"cases":8,"countries":6,"languages":4,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":2,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":2,"minors":1,"coreRelations":8,"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-finland-small-town-ai-fake-nude-images-of-dozens-of-women-on-porn-sites-police-investigation","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Poliisi on tutkinut hitaasti tapausta, jossa pikkukaupungissa asuva mies tehtaili tekoälyn avulla alastonkuvia kymmenistä itselleen tutuista naisista.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Naiset oli muokattu valokuvissa tekoälyn avulla yläosattomiksi tai kokonaan alastomiksi.'; 'Poliisin mukaan tapauksessa on yksi epäilty.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Poliisi tutkii tekoälyn avulla muokattujen seksuaalisten kuvien levittämistä, jossa asianomistajina eli uhreina on useita naisia.'; 'Tekopaikkana on pohjoissuomalainen pieni kaupunki ja rikoksista epäiltynä yksi keski-ikäinen mies.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Yle reports that a man living in a small town made nude images of dozens of women he knew with AI, editing their photographs to appear topless or fully nude; police, who say the case has one suspect, are investigating, and Kaleva describes the investigation as concerning the distribution of sexual images edited with AI.","causal_attribution":"Yle's investigative finding and Kaleva's description of the police investigation; untested in court. The suspect earlier denied knowing about the matter (c6)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Epäilty tekijä oli jakanut uhreista yhteensä useita satoja kuvia kahdelle eri pornosivustolle.'; 'Sekä poliisi että jotkut uhrit itse ovat tehneet sivustoille poistopyyntöjä, ja tekijän tilit kuvineen on sittemmin poistettu.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Nyt kuvat on poistettu myös toiselta sivustolta. Tälle sivustolle epäilty tekijä oli ladannut yli 300 kuvaa.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The suspect had shared several hundred images of the victims in total on two pornography sites, including more than 300 images on the second site; after takedown requests by police and some victims, the images and the suspect's accounts were removed.","causal_attribution":"Yle reporting with the head of investigation's account of the takedown requests."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Monet uhreiksi joutuneista naisista asuivat miehen kanssa samassa pienessä kaupungissa. Uhreissa oli hänen ystäviään, kollegoitaan ja jopa sukulaisiaan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Uhrit eivät tienneet kuvista mitään ennen Ylen yhteydenottoa. Yhteensä kuusi uhria teki rikosilmoituksen juttuprosessin aikana.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The victims included the suspect's friends, colleagues and relatives, many living in the same small town; they did not know about the images until Yle contacted them, and six victims filed criminal complaints during Yle's reporting.","causal_attribution":"Yle's investigative reporting."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Tutkinnanjohtaja vahvistaa, että rikosilmoituksia on tähän mennessä tehty 23 kappaletta.'; 'Rikosnimikkeinä tutkinnassa ovat seksuaalisen kuvan luvaton levittäminen ja kunnianloukkaus.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Poliisi on vastaanottanut yhteensä 12 rikosilmoitusta tapauksesta.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Poliisi aloitti esitutkinnan kuluvan kevään aikana saatuaan yhteensä kuusi rikosilmoitusta miehen toiminnasta.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Police are investigating unauthorised distribution of a sexual image and defamation; complaints numbered six when the preliminary investigation began in spring (Kaleva, citing police), 12 by 4 June and 23 by 1 October 2026 (the head of investigation, via Yle).","causal_attribution":"Statements by the head of investigation and police as relayed by Yle and Kaleva."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Poliisi ei ole kuullut vielä yhtään uhria, vaikka rikostutkinta alkoi jo keväällä.'; 'Osa rikosvyyhdin uhreista on ollut yhteydessä Yleen, koska poliisista ei ole kuulunut. He ovat olleet hämmentyneitä tutkinnan hitaudesta.'; 'Juttua on tutkinut vain yksi poliisitutkija muiden töidensä ohessa.'; 'Ensi vuoden alkupuolelle varmaan mennään.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"As of 1 October 2026 police had not interviewed any victim although the investigation began in spring; some victims contacted Yle because they had heard nothing from police and were confused by the slow pace; one investigator worked the case alongside other duties, and the head of investigation expected it to reach consideration of charges in the first half of 2027.","causal_attribution":"Yle reporting of victims' contacts and the head of investigation's statements."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Tutkinta alkoi toukokuussa Ylen jutun julkaisun jälkeen. Tuolloin epäilty tekijä myös irtisanottiin työpaikastaan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Ylen tietojen mukaan jutun julkaisun jälkeen mies on irtisanottu tehtävistään.'; 'Aiemmin mies kiisti sähköpostitse Ylelle tietävänsä asiasta, mutta paheksui jutun tekemistä.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Tiettävästi mies on irtisanottu rikosepäilyjen tultua tietoon.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The suspect was dismissed from his job after Yle's May article; earlier the suspect had denied to Yle by email knowing about the matter while condemning the story.","causal_attribution":"Yle's and Kaleva's information; the dismissal is not confirmed by the employer in the inspected text. The denial is the suspect's own statement to Yle."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Ylen laskujen mukaan tapauksessa on uhreja jopa yli 50. Poliisi ei vielä ole tunnistanut heitä kaikkia, joten kaikki eivät ole tietoisia heistä tehdyistä alastonkuvista.'; 'Ylen tietojen mukaan aineistossa on myös kuvia, joissa asianomistajat ovat olleet teini-ikäisiä. He ovat nykyään aikuisia.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Ylen tietojen mukaan väärennettyihin alastonkuviin päätyi jopa yli 50 naista.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Yle counts more than 50 victims, not all identified by police, so not all know about the images; Yle also reports that the material includes images in which complainants were teenagers, who are now adults.","causal_attribution":"Yle's own count; the head of investigation would not comment on the total number of victims."}],"effects":[{"label":"photos of women the suspect knew were allegedly edited with AI into nude images and posted on porn sites without their knowledge","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"some victims say they heard nothing from police months after filing complaints and were confused by the slow investigation","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://yle.fi/a/74-20249310","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fi","translation_note":"Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02 (Yle, 1 October 2026, by the MOT reporters). Quotes the unnamed head of investigation. Researcher translation; no professional translator.","independence_group":"yle-mot-investigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://yle.fi/a/74-20229628","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fi","translation_note":"Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02 (Yle MOT, 4 June 2026). Researcher translation.","independence_group":"yle-mot-investigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.kaleva.fi/rikosepaily-mies-vaarensi-tekoalylla-alastonkuvia/13514039","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fi","translation_note":"Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02 (Kaleva, 29 May 2026); access is partial: only the free lede of five paragraphs was visible, the rest is behind the paywall. Attributes the investigation details to police and the employment details to Kaleva's own information. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"kaleva-police-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","relationships"],"unknowns":["When the images were made and posted; police began the investigation in spring 2026 and complaints were filed around May.","Which AI tool was used.","The exact number of women depicted; Yle counts more than 50 and police had not identified all of them.","Whether each of the 23 complaints comes from a different woman.","Whether charges will be brought; consideration of charges was expected in the first half of 2027."],"geography":{"basis":"Kaleva reports that the crime location is a small town in northern Finland, and Yle calls the case Finland's largest deepfake-nude case so far and says many victims lived in the same small town as the suspect. Not every victim's residence is stated. No court proceeding has started.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["FI"],"affected_person_countries":["FI"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): police are investigating a man suspected of AI-faking nude images of women he knew and posting them to porn sites, with 23 complaints confirmed by the head of investigation. Two chains read in Finnish (Yle's MOT investigation and Kaleva's police-sourced lede); every claim is reported. Yle withholds the victims, the town and the head of investigation's name; the suspect is unnamed here. Event date unknown; reported 22 May 2026.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-02"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Yle reports that the women were edited in photographs with AI to appear topless or nude, and Kaleva describes the police investigation as concerning the distribution of sexual images edited with AI. The images were not inspected and no tool is named. The AI use is Yle's finding and Kaleva's description of the police investigation; no inspected text quotes police on the AI use, and it is untested in court. The images depict the women (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Finnish police investigate a small-town man suspected of using AI to fake nude images of dozens of women he knew and posting several hundred images of them on two porn sites; 23 criminal complaints by October 2026","summary":"Yle reported in May 2026 that a man in a small Finnish town is suspected of using AI to turn photos of women he knew, including friends, colleagues and relatives, into topless or fully nude images and posting them, among several hundred images of the women that included original clothed photos, on two pornography sites. The women did not know about the images until Yle contacted them. Police opened a preliminary investigation for unauthorised distribution of a sexual image and defamation. By 1 October 2026 the head of the investigation confirmed 23 criminal complaints, but no victim had yet been interviewed. Yle counts more than 50 victims, not all identified. The suspect was dismissed from his job and earlier denied to Yle by email that he knew about the matter.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-05-22","aiSystem":"AI used to edit photographs of women into topless or fully nude images (Yle; Kaleva describes the police investigation as concerning sexual images edited with AI); the tool is not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Photos of women the suspect knew were allegedly edited with AI into nude images that were posted on two porn sites, among several hundred images of the women, without their knowledge; 23 complaints had been filed by October 2026 (Yle, citing the head of investigation; Kaleva).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":50,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Yle states that more than 50 women appear in the faked nude images ('Ylen tietojen mukaan väärennettyihin alastonkuviin päätyi jopa yli 50 naista', 4 June 2026; 'Ylen laskujen mukaan tapauksessa on uhreja jopa yli 50', 1 October 2026): documented minimum 50 depicted women. This is Yle's own count; the head of investigation would not comment on the total and police had not identified every victim. Police had 23 complaints by 1 October, but no source states that each complaint comes from a different woman, so 23 is not used as a person count. Six victims filed complaints during Yle's reporting (4 June).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"FI","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://yle.fi/a/74-20249310","primarySourceLabel":"Yle, 1 October 2026: Poliisi tutkii hitaasti tapausta, jossa mies loi alastonkuvia kymmenistä naisista","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-02T03:25:52.123161+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-02T03:25:52.123161+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","non-consensual-intimate-imagery","nudification","pornography-sites","police-investigation","finnish-language"]},{"id":"2026-lower-saxony-cdu-group-employee-reported-ai-sexualized-video-of-colleague-in-staff-chat-group","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Am Nachmittag des 17. Januar 2026","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"In einer gemeinsamen privaten Whatsapp-Chatgruppe postete ein ... ein KI-generiertes Kurzvideo, in dem eine weitere ... Mitarbeiterin der Fraktion in eindeutig sexualisierter Weise dargestellt wurde","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Das Video sei bereits am 17. Januar in der Chatgruppe eingestellt worden.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"die Verbreitung eines möglichen KI-Deepfakes mit sexualisiertem Inhalt im Rahmen einer privaten WhatsApp-Gruppe mit Bezug zur Mitarbeiterschaft der Fraktion","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 17 January 2026 an employee of the CDU parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony state parliament posted a short AI-generated video that showed a colleague in a sexualized manner in a private WhatsApp group connected to the group's staff.","causal_attribution":"Welt gives the date and content in its own voice, and dpa quotes a Hannover public prosecutor spokesperson for the same date. The parliamentary group calls it a possible deepfake in its own release. Welt, dpa and the group may share one underlying account, so the claim stays reported. The video was not seen by the reviewer."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Die Staatsanwaltschaft Hannover hat das Kurzvideo inzwischen gesichtet.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Bei dem Video handele es sich „offensichtlich um eine KI-Montage“.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Dafür sei mutmaßlich ein echtes Bild der Frau in das Video montiert worden. Es gebe entsprechende Software, die das ermögliche.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Bei dem Video handele es sich „offensichtlich um eine KI-Montage“.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Hannover public prosecutor's office had viewed the video, and a spokesperson said it was obviously an AI montage in which a real picture of the colleague had presumably been montaged into the video, and that software which allows this exists.","causal_attribution":"The statement is a spokesperson's description after the office viewed the video and is not a forensic finding. Welt and Tagesspiegel relay the same dpa inquiry. No tool is named."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Einer von ihnen soll demnach die übrigen Beteiligten noch im Januar aufgefordert haben, das Video zu löschen und Stillschweigen zu bewahren.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"seien erst am 27. März informiert worden","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"CDU-Kreise bestätigten der dpa die Angaben aus dem Bericht von „Welt“ und „Business Insider“.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to reports by Welt and Business Insider that CDU circles confirmed to dpa, an employee asked the other chat members in January to delete the video and keep silent, and the parliamentary group's leaders were informed on 27 March.","causal_attribution":"The account rests on Welt and Business Insider reporting with confirmation from unnamed CDU circles. The group's spokesperson declined to comment. Whether the depicted colleague learned of the video earlier is not stated in these sources."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Dem Bericht zufolge wurde der Mitarbeiter, der zum Stillschweigen aufgerufen hatte, am Dienstag suspendiert. Der Ersteller des Videos sei fristlos entlassen worden.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"wurde der Mitarbeiter, der das Video offenbar erstellt hat, noch am selben Tag freigestellt und inzwischen fristlos gekündigt","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Der Ersteller des Videos wurde Ende März entlassen, ein weiterer Mitarbeiter der Fraktion suspendiert.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The employee who created the video was dismissed without notice at the end of March 2026, and the employee who had called for silence was suspended.","causal_attribution":"Welt and Tagesspiegel report the dismissal and suspension from the same Welt and Business Insider account, and dpa repeated them on 9 July. The group did not comment on the employment measures in the sources read."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Die CDU-Fraktion hat daraufhin am Dienstag die Staatsanwaltschaft in Hannover über die Vorkommnisse informiert und dieser sämtliche Unterlagen zur Verfügung gestellt.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"den Vorgang und eine Prüfung des Sachverhalts","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Ermittlungen gegen den mutmaßlichen Ersteller des Videos, ein Mitarbeiter der CDU-Fraktion, würden bislang nicht geführt","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"wohl aber den Verdacht auf eine Verletzung des Kunsturhebergesetzes","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Bislang sei keine Strafanzeige gestellt worden","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The parliamentary group informed the Hannover public prosecutor's office. As reported on 1 April 2026, the office said it was examining the matter, was not investigating the alleged creator and had received no criminal complaint, and named a suspected violation of the Kunsturhebergesetz if a photo had been altered.","causal_attribution":"The parliamentary group's release is its own account of its conduct. The prosecutor's statements are relayed by dpa. They describe the state of the matter on 1 April 2026 and do not describe the later outcome."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Er soll das Video in die Chatgruppe eingestellt haben, um damit aufzuzeigen, welche Gefahren durch KI-Manipulationen drohen","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Danach sei das Video in dem Chat gelöscht worden.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the prosecutor's spokesperson, who was relaying the parliamentary group's letter to the office, the alleged creator posted the video in the chat to show the dangers of AI manipulation, and the video was later deleted from the chat.","causal_attribution":"This is the alleged creator's stated purpose as passed on through the group's letter and the spokesperson. No source tests it, and the court decision described in c7 rests on the making and sharing of the video without the colleague's consent."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Das Amtsgericht Wennigsen verhängte nach Angaben der Staatsanwaltschaft Hannover eine Geldstrafe von 30 Tagessätzen gegen einen früheren Mitarbeiter der Fraktion, der das Video mit Hilfe eines Bildes seiner Kollegin ohne deren Einwilligung erstellt und in einer Chatgruppe geteilt hatte.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"Geahndet wurde ein Verstoß gegen das Kunsturhebergesetz","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"Einspruch habe der frühere CDU-Mitarbeiter nicht eingelegt, die Entscheidung sei damit rechtskräftig und das Verfahren abgeschlossen.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"Der Mann hatte das Bild einer Kollegin genutzt, um ohne ihr Wissen ein sexualisiertes KI-Video zu erstellen und es in einer Chatgruppe zu verbreiten.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"On 9 July 2026 dpa reported, citing the Hannover public prosecutor's office, that the Wennigsen local court had fined a former employee of the parliamentary group 30 daily rates for a violation of the Kunsturhebergesetz, and that the decision is final because no objection was filed. The report describes the former employee as having made the video with a picture of the colleague without consent and shared it in a chat group.","causal_attribution":"The outcome reaches the record only through a prosecutor statement relayed by dpa, and news.de and t-online carry the same text. The court decision was not read. The report does not say the court examined the AI method, and the daily-rate amount was not disclosed."}],"effects":[{"label":"Colleague depicted in a sexualized AI-generated video posted in a private staff chat group","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article69cfa14da4886afd5c999482/gerne-haetten-wir-noch-eindeutiger-stellung-bezogen-so-erklaert-die-cdu-niedersachsen-intern-die-deepfake-affaere.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German original read by the reviewer without a human bilingual review. Locators are the German text. Welt article of 3 April 2026. Its paragraphs on the prosecutor come from a dpa inquiry (byline ends with dpa).","independence_group":"welt-business-insider-dpa-april-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/sexualisiertes-ki-video-erstellt-cdu-niedersachsen-entlasst-mitarbeiter--und-suspendiert-einen-weiteren-fur-vertuschungsaufruf-15424605.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German original read by the reviewer without a human bilingual review. Locators are the German text. dpa text of 1 April 2026 in Tagesspiegel. It cites Welt and Business Insider for the chat and dismissal facts and a Hannover public prosecutor spokesperson for the rest.","independence_group":"welt-business-insider-dpa-april-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://cdultnds.de/2026/04/01/nach-vorwurf-wegen-deepfake-video-mit-sexualisiertem-inhalt-niedersaechsische-cdu-fraktion-schaltet-staatsanwaltschaft-ein/","kind":"organisation_statement","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German original read by the reviewer without a human bilingual review. Locators are the German text. Press release of the parliamentary group dated 1 April 2026, read through an Internet Archive capture of 18 June 2026 because the live page returned a bot wall.","independence_group":"cdu-group-press-release-2026-04-01"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.news.de/politik/859807552/deepfake-affaere-in-niedersachsens-cdu-gericht-verhaengt-strafe-landtag-news-der-dpa-aktuell-zu-landtag-partei-und-cdu/1/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German original read by the reviewer without a human bilingual review. Locators are the German text. dpa text of 9 July 2026 on news.de. The report says NDR reported first, and the NDR article was not retrieved.","independence_group":"dpa-court-fine-july-2026"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://hannover.t-online.de/region/hannover/id_101336034/deepfake-affaere-cdu-niedersachsen-gericht-verhaengt-strafe.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"de","translation_note":"German original read by the reviewer without a human bilingual review. Locators are the German text. t-online copy of the same dpa report of 9 July 2026.","independence_group":"dpa-court-fine-july-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy"],"unknowns":["No statement by the depicted colleague appears in the sources read. The colleague's own experience and the date the colleague learned of the video are not stated in the news reports read. An NDR report that these sources cite was not retrieved.","The AI tool or service used to make the video is not named, and the reviewer did not see the video.","The creation date of the video is not stated. The posting date of 17 January 2026 is reported, and no source dates the creation to an earlier year.","The number of chat members and recipients is not stated beyond several employees. Recipients are not counted as harmed.","The prosecutor's statement reported on 1 April 2026 said there was no investigation of the alleged creator and no indication of an insult offence. The later fine under the Kunsturhebergesetz is reported second-hand, and the court decision and the daily-rate amount were not seen.","The alleged creator's stated purpose (to show the dangers of AI manipulation) is an account passed on through the group's letter and a spokesperson. It is not tested by any source.","The Welt and Business Insider original reports of the chat facts were reached only through the Welt article of 3 April and the dpa text. The Business Insider report was not read."],"geography":{"basis":"Welt places the affair in the party group at the state parliament in Hannover, and the Hannover public prosecutor's office and the Wennigsen local court handled the matter. Lower Saxony is a German federal state. The colleague works in that parliamentary group. The country is taken from the place of the event and not from the language or the outlet.","court_countries":["DE"],"event_countries":["DE"],"affected_person_countries":["DE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Welt (3 April 2026), a dpa text in Tagesspiegel (1 April 2026), the parliamentary group's press release (1 April 2026) and dpa court-outcome reports (9 July 2026) describe one event. All claims are reported. The chain rests on Welt and Business Insider reporting, prosecutor statements passed on by dpa and the group's own release, so nothing is marked corroborated. The depicted colleague and the former employee are not named, no imagery detail is given, and no statement by the colleague was found. The event date is the reported posting date.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Hannover public prosecutor's office had viewed the video, and a spokesperson called it obviously an AI montage in which a real picture of the colleague had presumably been montaged into the video, and said software that allows this exists (Tagesspiegel, dpa). Welt calls it an AI-generated short video. No tool is named and the reviewer did not see the video.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Lower Saxony CDU parliamentary group employee reportedly posted an AI-generated sexualized video of a colleague in a private staff chat group","summary":"Welt, dpa (in Tagesspiegel, news.de and t-online) and a press release of the CDU parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony state parliament report the following. On 17 January 2026 an employee of the parliamentary group posted a short AI-generated video showing a colleague in a sexualized manner in a private WhatsApp group connected to the group's staff. The Hannover public prosecutor's office had viewed the video, and a spokesperson said it was obviously an AI montage. After the group's leaders were informed (on 27 March according to press reports), the employee who created the video was dismissed without notice and a second employee, who had reportedly asked chat members in January to delete the video and keep silent, was suspended. The group informed the prosecutor's office, which said, as reported on 1 April 2026, that it had received no criminal complaint. On 9 July 2026 dpa reported, citing the prosecutor's office, that the Wennigsen local court had fined the former employee, who had made the video with the colleague's picture without consent and shared it in a chat group, 30 daily rates for a violation of the Kunsturhebergesetz, and that the decision is final. The colleague and the former employee are not named, and no statement by the colleague appears in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2026-01-17","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-04-01","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI video tool (not named in the sources)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A colleague was depicted in a sexualized AI-generated video that was posted in a private WhatsApp group connected to the parliamentary group's staff. The Hannover public prosecutor's office said, as reported by dpa, that the former employee made the video with the colleague's picture without consent, and a local court fined the former employee for a violation of the Kunsturhebergesetz. No statement by the colleague about the effect on the colleague appears in the sources read.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted colleague (Welt: one further employee of the group. The prosecutor's statements, as relayed by dpa, refer to one colleague). The chat members and recipients are not counted as harmed, and no other depicted person is reported.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article69cfa14da4886afd5c999482/gerne-haetten-wir-noch-eindeutiger-stellung-bezogen-so-erklaert-die-cdu-niedersachsen-intern-die-deepfake-affaere.html","primarySourceLabel":"Welt, 3 April 2026 (German): CDU Niedersachsen explains the deepfake affair internally","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:09:33.783712+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:44:23.352005+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2026"]},{"id":"2026-queensland-school-teacher-charged-over-alleged-ai-images-of-staff-and-students","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Police allege the man used AI software to generate explicit images of staff and students.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"used a work-issued laptop and AI software to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the AI content was found in a former secondary teacher's school digital account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Police allege that a former secondary school teacher used AI software on a work-issued laptop to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students of the school.","causal_attribution":"The allegation comes from a police statement and a school letter to parents, both relayed by one outlet. The images and the software were not seen by the reviewer and the charges are unproven."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"had been charged with four counts relating to generating and possessing child exploitation material, possessing child abuse material, and the misuse of a restricted computer","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"commenced in October after police were notified of explicit AI-generated content on a school employee's laptop.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The teacher was charged with four counts relating to generating and possessing child exploitation material, possessing child abuse material and misuse of a restricted computer, after an investigation that began in October when police were notified of the material on a school employee's laptop.","causal_attribution":"The charges establish only that police allege offences. No court outcome is reported in the inspected sources."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"There was no evidence to indicate that the AI-generated material had been distributed or shared by the staff member,","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"resulted in the teacher being immediately dismissed","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Queensland Police are in the process of contacting some members of our community as part of their ongoing investigation.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"to secure the alleged explicit AI material, report it to police and terminate the teacher's employment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The school said it had also notified the Queensland College of Teachers and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The school reports that it secured the material, dismissed the teacher and notified the police, the Queensland College of Teachers and the eSafety Commissioner, and that there is no evidence the material was distributed or shared. Police are contacting some members of the school community.","causal_attribution":"These are the school's own statements about its response, relayed by the outlet. The absence of sharing is the school's statement and does not describe what police found."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the misuse of AI to create child exploitation material was a serious criminal offence that causes real harm to victims.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A police officer stated in general terms that misuse of AI to create child exploitation material causes real harm to victims.","causal_attribution":"The statement is general and does not describe any individual depicted person's experience or any specific harm in this case."}],"effects":[{"label":"Staff members and students reportedly depicted in AI-generated explicit images made on a school laptop","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-24/school-teacher-charged-over-child-exploitation-material/106954930","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc-gold-coast-school-letter-and-police-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-23/police-investigate-ai-generated-explicit-images/106950646","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc-gold-coast-school-letter-and-police-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy"],"unknowns":["When the images were created is not stated. Only the October 2025 discovery and dismissal are dated, so the event start date is unknown.","The number of staff members and students depicted is not stated.","The AI software is not named.","No source reports how any depicted person was affected. The adverse consequence is the reported creation of the images and the resulting police contact with some community members.","The school states there is no evidence of sharing. Police have not published a finding on that point in the inspected sources.","The charges are allegations and the court outcome is not reported."],"geography":{"basis":"Sources name Queensland Police, the Gold Coast, the Queensland College of Teachers and a Southport Magistrates Court appearance. The affected people are members of that school community.","court_countries":["AU"],"event_countries":["AU"],"affected_person_countries":["AU"]},"publication":{"basis":"Two ABC reports (23 and 24 July 2026) relay one school letter to parents and one police statement. All claims are reported allegations. The accused, students and staff are not named, no image detail is given, and the school is not named because the depicted students belong to it. The evidence of harm to depicted people is thin (no reported distribution), so severity is low. The creation date is unknown, so the case is published undated and outside the 2025 event-year count.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Police allege the former teacher used AI software to generate the images. The school says AI-generated material was found in the teacher's school digital account. No product is named and the material was not seen by the reviewer.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queensland school teacher charged over alleged AI-generated explicit images of staff and students","summary":"ABC reported on 23 and 24 July 2026 that police in Queensland, Australia charged a former secondary school teacher at a school there with child exploitation and computer misuse offences. Police allege the teacher used AI software on a work-issued laptop to generate explicit images depicting staff members and students. Police say a nine-month investigation began in October after they were notified of the material, and the school says it dismissed the teacher in October 2025, notified police and regulators, and that there is no evidence the material was shared. The number of people depicted and the creation date are not stated.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-23","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI image-generation software","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police allege AI-generated explicit images depicting staff members and students were made on a school laptop. The school says there is no evidence they were shared. No individual experience of harm is reported, and a police officer said in general terms that such material causes real harm to victims.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The police statement (s1) says the images depict staff and students, and the ABC lede says staff members and students, both plural, which supports at least two depicted people. The actual number is not stated and no source reports how any depicted person was affected.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-24/school-teacher-charged-over-child-exploitation-material/106954930","primarySourceLabel":"ABC News, 24 July 2026, school teacher charged over child exploitation material allegedly created using AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T13:28:35.598593+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:50.144809+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":[]},{"id":"2025-stephens-county-oklahoma-judge-chatgpt-fake-citations-paternity-order","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Wheeler denied a request from one of the parents' attorneys to have the other parent undergo a psychological test—and in his order denying the request, he pointed to multiple previous Oklahoma cases he said backed him up.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The 2025 order in a child paternity case'; 'He came under scrutiny after he reprimanded attorney [the attorney] last November in an order in the paternity case for asking for a psychological evaluation of the child’s father.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The issue came to light after a request for a mental evaluation was denied and a subsequent court order was filed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In November 2025, in a child paternity and custody case, Judge Wheeler issued an order denying a request by one parent's attorney for a psychological evaluation of the other parent, citing Oklahoma cases he said supported the decision.","causal_attribution":"Court history as reported by The Oklahoman and KFOR and described by the mother; the order itself was not read."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The judge told the OSBI he only used ChatGPT for research and created the order himself, DA Jason Hicks wrote. The judge, however, also “indicated that at least two of the case citations included in his order and produced by ChatGPT do not exist.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Stephens County District Attorney Jason Hicks says Wheeler admitted to OSBI agents he cited \"at least two\" cases ChatGPT fed him that \"do not exist.\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Hicks wrote that Wheeler acknowledged using case citations generated by ChatGPT and that at least two citations included in the order did not exist.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Associate District Judge Lawrence Wheeler used OpenAI's ChatGPT for research while drafting the order, which cited two cases that do not exist, according to state records.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"According to the district attorney's 17 August 2026 letter, the judge told the OSBI that he used ChatGPT for research and wrote the order himself, and indicated that at least two case citations in the order, produced by ChatGPT, do not exist.","causal_attribution":"The judge's own statement to investigators as relayed in the district attorney's letter; all four reports rely on that letter, which was not read. The judge's attorney declined to comment."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The judge issued the reprimand “for stooping to such frivolous trial tactics” and cautioned that future similar filings may be subject to further sanctions.'; '[The attorney] challenged the order at the Oklahoma Supreme Court in February. He told justices that Wheeler based his order on two cases, Cummings v. Cimarron Elevator Co. and Hawkins v. Linhart, that do not exist.'; '[The attorney] dismissed his challenge in March after Wheeler vacated the order. Wheeler is no longer involved in the paternity case.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'She said her attorney at the time challenged the ruling and began reviewing the legal authorities cited in the order.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The order reprimanded the attorney who had asked for a psychological evaluation of the child's father 'for stooping to such frivolous trial tactics' and warned of further sanctions; that attorney challenged it at the Oklahoma Supreme Court in February 2026, saying it relied on two nonexistent cases, and dismissed the challenge in March after Wheeler vacated the order. The mother told News 9 that her attorney at the time challenged the ruling.","causal_attribution":"The Oklahoman's account of the court filings and the mother's account to News 9; the Supreme Court filings were not read."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'[The mother] said learning the citations were allegedly fabricated was alarming because the order involved the custody of a child.'; '“Then it became very concerning to me that somebody would do something like that over a child custody case,” she said.'; '“He then turned around and decided to recuse himself from my case,” she said. “He called my attorney that I had at the time and apologized to him.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The mother told News 9 that learning the citations were allegedly fabricated was alarming because the order involved the custody of a child, and that the judge later recused himself from her case and apologised to her attorney.","causal_attribution":"The mother's first-person account in a broadcast interview."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The OSBI investigated the judge at the request of the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints.'; 'The OSBI also looked into allegations “that Judge Wheeler offered to amend the order in exchange for a dismissal of a writ seeking relief from the Oklahoma Supreme Court” and that he “eavesdropped on jury deliberations,” the DA disclosed in the letter.'; 'Prosecutors in the AG’s office “thoroughly reviewed the results of the investigation and determined the evidence does not support a criminal prosecution,” the AG’s press secretary, Leslie Berger, said on Sept. 2.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney General’s Office thoroughly reviewed the results of the investigation and determined the evidence does not support a criminal prosecution. The Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Court on the Judiciary possess ultimate jurisdiction over disciplinary actions for allegations of inappropriate behavior by judges regardless of whether the behavior constitutes a violation of a criminal statute.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The OSBI investigated the judge at the request of the Council on Judicial Complaints, including allegations that he offered to amend the order in exchange for dismissal of the writ and that he eavesdropped on jury deliberations; the attorney general's office said the evidence did not support criminal prosecution and that judicial discipline rests with the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Court on the Judiciary.","causal_attribution":"District attorney's letter and attorney general's statement as reported; no disciplinary finding has been made."}],"effects":[{"label":"an order in the mother's custody case that denied a request for a psychological evaluation cited nonexistent cases that the judge says ChatGPT produced","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the attorney who requested the evaluation was reprimanded in the order and sought relief from the Oklahoma Supreme Court before the order was vacated","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the mother describes learning of the fabricated citations in her child custody case as alarming","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://minnlawyer.com/2026/09/09/oklahoma-judge-ai-fabricated-case-citations/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Oklahoman's report (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect) as republished by Minnesota Lawyer; read in full from the Wayback capture of 10 September 2026 because the live page returned 403. Its ChatGPT-admission passages relay the district attorney's letter; its account of the reprimand, the Supreme Court challenge and the vacatur draws on court filings and the attorney.","independence_group":"oklahoman"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.aol.com/articles/oklahoma-judge-admitted-citing-fake-030000000.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"KFOR (Oklahoma City) report syndicated on AOL, read in full on 2026-09-29. Its account of the ChatGPT admission relays the same district attorney letter.","independence_group":"kfor"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/stephens-county-mother-speaks-out-after-judge-accused-of-using-chatgpt-in-custody-case","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"News 9 (Griffin Media) interview with the mother, read in full on 2026-09-29. Its description of the ChatGPT admission also relays the district attorney's letter; the mother's own account is independent of it.","independence_group":"news9-mother"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/09/stephens-county-judge-faces-discipline-over-chatgpt-written-court-order/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Hoodline rewrite of the Reuters report, read in full on 2026-09-29. Reuters relays the same district attorney letter.","independence_group":"reuters"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["The text of the order and whether the nonexistent citations were decisive for denying the evaluation and for the reprimand.","Whether any disciplinary proceeding follows from the Council on Judicial Complaints referral.","The current state of the custody case after the vacatur and the judge's departure from it.","The exact day in November 2025 on which the order was issued."],"geography":{"basis":"The order was issued in Stephens County District Court, Oklahoma, and challenged at the Oklahoma Supreme Court (The Oklahoman; KFOR). News 9 reports from Stephens County and describes the mother's case as handled there; her residence is not stated beyond that.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete case in which a judge's use of ChatGPT for research put nonexistent case citations into an order that denied a parent's request and reprimanded the requesting attorney in a child custody case. The ChatGPT admission rests on the district attorney's letter as relayed by several outlets, which was not read; the order and the Supreme Court filings were not read. The mother and the attorney are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"According to the district attorney's 17 August 2026 letter, as reported by The Oklahoman, KFOR and News 9, the judge told the OSBI that he used ChatGPT for research and that at least two citations in his order, produced by ChatGPT, do not exist. ChatGPT communicated only with the judge; the mother and the reprimanded attorney were affected through the order he issued. The letter itself was not read.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Stephens County, Oklahoma: according to the district attorney, Judge Lawrence Wheeler told state investigators that a November 2025 order in a paternity and custody case, which denied a parent's request for a psychological evaluation and reprimanded that parent's attorney, cited at least two nonexistent cases produced by ChatGPT; the order was vacated after the attorney challenged it","summary":"In November 2025 Stephens County Associate District Judge Lawrence Wheeler issued an order in a child paternity and custody case that denied one parent's request for a psychological evaluation of the other parent and reprimanded the requesting parent's attorney 'for stooping to such frivolous trial tactics'. The attorney challenged the order at the Oklahoma Supreme Court in February 2026, telling the justices that it relied on two cases that do not exist; the challenge was dismissed in March after Wheeler vacated the order, and he is no longer on the case. According to a 17 August 2026 letter from the Stephens County district attorney, Wheeler told the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that he used ChatGPT for research and wrote the order himself, and that at least two citations in it produced by ChatGPT do not exist. The mother in the case told News 9 that learning the order's citations were allegedly fabricated was alarming because it concerned the custody of a child. The attorney general's office declined criminal prosecution; judicial discipline remains possible.","incidentDate":"2025-11-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-09","aiSystem":"ChatGPT (OpenAI), used by the judge for legal research while preparing the order","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A court order in a child custody case, which the judge has acknowledged to investigators contained at least two nonexistent ChatGPT-produced citations, denied a request for a psychological evaluation of the child's father and formally reprimanded the requesting attorney; the attorney had to seek relief from the Oklahoma Supreme Court before the order was vacated (per the district attorney's letter and The Oklahoman; the judge's attorney declined to comment).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people affected through the judge's use of ChatGPT: the mother, whose request for a psychological evaluation was denied by the order and who describes the discovery as alarming (News 9), and the attorney who requested the evaluation and was reprimanded in the order and challenged it at the Oklahoma Supreme Court (The Oklahoman). The child and the other parent are not counted because no harm to them is reported. The judge, the AI user, is not counted: he faces a possible disciplinary process but no sanction has been reported and the complaint bundled other allegations.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-OK","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://minnlawyer.com/2026/09/09/oklahoma-judge-ai-fabricated-case-citations/","primarySourceLabel":"The Oklahoman (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect), republished by Minnesota Lawyer, 9 September 2026: Oklahoma judge used AI on order that cited cases that don't exist","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:10:18.787549+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:16.712062+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["justice","family-court","judge","fabricated-citations","chatgpt","institutional-use","oklahoma"]},{"id":"2025-tsuda-v-tiktok-ai-voice-imitation-tokyo","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'生成AI（人工知能）によって自身の声を無断で模倣した動画が公開されているとして、人気声優の津田健次郎さんが、TikTok（ティックトック）の運営会社に動画の削除を求めて東京地裁に提訴していたことが23日分かった。'; '2024年7月〜25年9月、津田さんの声質を模したナレーションを付け、都市伝説やオカルト、雑学をテーマとした動画を188本投稿したとされる。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'訴状などによると、２０２４年７月～２５年９月、都市伝説や陰謀論を扱う画像に津田さんの声質を模したナレーションを付けた動画１８８件が投稿された。'; '動画には「ツダケンの声がする」「声が似ている」などのコメントが相次いだ。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'訴状によると、問題の動画アカウントは2024年7月以降、津田さんの声を模したナレーションで都市伝説や心霊現象を語る内容で、少なくとも188件投稿した。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"According to Mr Tsuda's complaint, an account run by an unidentified person posted at least 188 videos between July 2024 and September 2025 narrated by a generative-AI imitation of his voice, without his permission, and viewers commented that the voice sounded like him.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiff's allegations as reported from the complaint and his lawyer (one chain); the court has not ruled."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'ティックトックには再生回数に応じて金銭が支払われる仕組みがあり、月50万〜75万円の収益を上げたとしている。'; '提訴は25年11月。この時点で投稿者は21万人以上のフォロワーを有し、動画の平均再生回数は147万回に上るという。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'動画の再生数に応じて投稿者は月50万～75万円の収益を上げていた、と津田さん側は主張している。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"His side says the account had about 210,000 followers when he sued in November 2025, videos averaged 1.47 million views, and the poster earned 500,000 to 750,000 yen a month from TikTok's view-based payments.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiff's figures; not independently verified."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'これに対して運営会社側は「投稿者は『友人の声を生成ＡＩに学習させた』と述べており、普遍的な男性の声にすぎない」などと反論。提訴後に動画データがアカウントごと削除されたとし、「訴えの利益はない」として請求却下も求めている。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'一方、ティックトック側は答弁書で、問題の音声が「津田さんと『同一の声』かどうかは客観的に明らかではない」などと反論。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'25年8月、東京地裁がティックトック側に投稿者の情報の開示を命じたが、開示された情報が古く、投稿者の特定に至らなかったという。'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"TikTok's operator disputes the claim, saying it is not objectively clear the voice is the same as his and that it is a generic male voice, that the poster said they had trained AI on a friend's voice, and that the account and videos were deleted after the suit was filed; it asks for the claim to be dismissed.","causal_attribution":"Defendant's position as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'高橋裁判長は判決理由で、一般論として人の声は「肖像と同様に個人の人格の象徴と言える」と指摘。実演家の声を無断で使用する行為は、もっぱらその声がもつ顧客吸引力の利用が目的と認められる場合にはパブリシティー権の侵害に当たるとの考え方を示した。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'判決は、人の声は容姿と同じように「個人の人格の象徴といえる」と指摘。'; '人の声が法的な保護の対象になると認めた司法判断は初めて。'; '声優らの声を無断で使う行為について、その声に商品の販売などを促す顧客吸引力があり、もっぱらその声の顧客吸引力を利用する目的で使っている場合は「パブリシティー権の侵害にあたると解するのが相当だ」と述べた。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'30日の判決で東京地裁は「人の声は肖像と同様に個人の人格の象徴」と指摘しました。'; 'そのうえで実演家の声を無断で使用することについて、顧客吸引力の利用する目的があれば「パブリシティー権」の侵害に当たるとする初めての判断を示しました。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'模倣された声が入った動画の削除を求めた訴訟の判決が３０日、東京地裁で言い渡される。生成ＡＩによる声の権利侵害を巡る初の訴訟で'","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'ベテラン声優らは「声の権利を認めてほしい」と訴え、津田健次郎さんが起こした訴訟の判決を見守っている。'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 30 September 2026 the Tokyo District Court held, as a general principle, that a person's voice is a symbol of individual personality like a likeness, and that using a performer's voice without permission solely to exploit its power to attract customers infringes the right of publicity; it was described as the first such judicial finding in Japan.","causal_attribution":"Court's general holding as reported by three outlets that each reported the judgment; the judgment text itself was not read."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'ただ今回の動画はすでに運営会社のサーバーからも削除されているとし、これ以上削除する義務を負っておらず原告の請求は理由がないと結論付けた。問題の動画がパブリシティー権を侵害しているかは判断を示さなかった。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'一方で判決は、今回の裁判で津田さん側が問題とした動画は削除済みだと認定。津田さんの声の権利が侵害されたかについては判断しなかった。'; 'ただ、今回の事例では動画がすでに消えており、ティックトックの運営会社に削除義務はないと判断。津田さん側の請求は退けた。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'一方で、動画の削除についてはアカウントがすでに削除されているため、削除義務がないとし、津田さん側の請求を退けました。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"The court dismissed Mr Tsuda's claim because the videos had already been deleted, so TikTok's operator had no duty to delete them, and it did not decide whether the videos infringed his publicity right.","causal_attribution":"Court's disposition as reported; no finding that the videos imitate or infringe his voice."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'原告側は津田さんの声と混同させて月50万〜75万円の収益を得ていたなどとして、不正競争防止法違反にも当たると主張したが、この点については判決は言及しなかった。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"According to Nikkei, the judgment did not address his separate argument that the videos breached the Unfair Competition Prevention Act by passing them off as his voice.","causal_attribution":"Single report (Nikkei)."},{"id":"c7","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'今年5月には投稿者がアカウントを削除した。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'提訴後の今年5月、投稿者がアカウントを削除し、問題の動画は表示されなくなっていた。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"The poster deleted the account in May 2026, after the suit was filed.","causal_attribution":"Reported by Nikkei and the Asahi Shimbun from the proceedings."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'判決後、津田さんの代理人弁護士は控訴しない方針を示した。'; 'ティックトックの運営会社は「今後も、テクノロジーの発展と権利保護のバランスのとれた在り方について、誠実に取り組んでいく」とコメントした。'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"After the judgment his lawyer said they did not plan to appeal, and TikTok's operator said it would keep working on a balance between technological development and rights protection.","causal_attribution":"Statements reported by the Asahi Shimbun."}],"effects":[{"label":"voice allegedly imitated by generative AI without permission in at least 188 monetised TikTok videos that viewers associated with him","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026092600287&g=soc","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-09-28; summarised in English by the researcher (no human translation). Reports the complaint and TikTok's filings. Re-read on 2026-10-01.","independence_group":"tsuda-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUD231K30T20C26A5000000/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-09-28 (23 May 2026); sourced to the plaintiff's lawyer and the complaint. Researcher translation. Re-read on 2026-10-01.","independence_group":"tsuda-complaint"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV5T2J1LV5TUTIL00FM.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-09-28 (May 2026); the visible article text was read and quotes the complaint and TikTok's answer. Researcher translation. Re-read on 2026-10-01.","independence_group":"tsuda-complaint"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026092600297&g=soc","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-09-28 (26 September 2026). Industry context; does not add facts about the Tsuda videos. Researcher translation. Re-read on 2026-10-01.","independence_group":"jiji-industry-feature"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUD262B00W6A920C2000000/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-10-01 (30 September 2026 judgment report by Nikkei; photo credited to Kyodo). Researcher translation.","independence_group":"nikkei-judgment-report"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV9Z11V1V9ZUTIL02SM.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-10-01; the visible text before the paywall was read (about 1,000 characters remain unread). Bylined by the Asahi Tokyo city news court reporter. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"asahi-judgment-report"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/900200797.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read live in Japanese on 2026-10-01 (TV Asahi running summary of the 30 September 2026 judgment). Researcher translation.","independence_group":"tv-asahi-judgment-report"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","justice"],"unknowns":["Who ran the account and which AI tool produced the voice (a court-ordered disclosure in August 2025 did not identify the poster, according to the Asahi Shimbun).","Whether the voice was modelled on Mr Tsuda's voice and whether the videos infringed his publicity right; the court dismissed the claim because the videos had already been deleted, without deciding either.","Mr Tsuda's own account of personal or financial effects; no statement from him was read.","The full judgment text; it was not read, and the court's reasoning is taken from news reports."],"geography":{"basis":"Mr Tsuda is a Japanese voice actor working in Japan and the suit is in the Tokyo District Court (Nikkei; Jiji). The poster is unidentified and the place where the videos were made is not reported, so no event country is recorded.","court_countries":["JP"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["JP"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (a generative-AI voice alleged to impersonate a real, named performer in monetised videos). Updated after the 30 September 2026 judgment: the facts of the videos come from his complaint as reported by Nikkei, the Asahi Shimbun and Jiji Press, with TikTok's rebuttal; the ruling is taken from Nikkei, Asahi and TV Asahi reports. Imitation and infringement remain undecided because the court dismissed the claim on the ground that the videos had already been deleted. Mr Tsuda is a public figure suing in his own name; the poster is unidentified.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaint alleges generative-AI imitation of his voice (Nikkei; Asahi; Jiji). TikTok's side and the poster reportedly say the voice was generated by AI trained on a friend's voice, so AI generation is asserted by both sides; whether it imitates Tsuda was not decided by the court, which dismissed the claim because the videos had been deleted.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Tokyo: voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda sued TikTok's operator over at least 188 monetised videos he says were narrated by a generative-AI imitation of his voice; on 30 September 2026 the Tokyo District Court held that a voice can be protected by publicity rights but dismissed his deletion claim because the videos had already been deleted","summary":"Kenjiro Tsuda, a Japanese voice actor known for roles in Jujutsu Kaisen, sued the operator of TikTok in the Tokyo District Court in November 2025, seeking removal of videos he says use a generative-AI imitation of his voice without permission. According to his complaint, as reported by Jiji Press, Nikkei and the Asahi Shimbun, an account run by an unidentified person posted at least 188 short videos on urban legends, the occult and trivia between July 2024 and September 2025, narrated in a voice modelled on his; the account had about 210,000 followers, videos averaged 1.47 million views, and his side says the poster earned 500,000 to 750,000 yen a month from TikTok's view-based payments. TikTok's operator said the voice was a generic male voice that the poster said came from AI trained on a friend's voice. The poster deleted the account in May 2026. On 30 September 2026 the court held, as a general principle, that a person's voice is a symbol of personality like a likeness and that using a performer's voice without permission solely to exploit its power to attract customers infringes the right of publicity, the first such ruling in Japan. It dismissed the claim because the videos were already gone and TikTok's operator had no remaining duty to delete them, and it did not decide whether these videos infringed his rights (Nikkei; Asahi Shimbun; TV Asahi). His lawyer said they did not plan to appeal.","incidentDate":"2024-07-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-09-30","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-05-23","aiSystem":"An unidentified generative-AI voice tool used by an anonymous TikTok account to produce narration (the plaintiff alleges the voice imitates his; the poster reportedly said the model was trained on a friend's voice); videos distributed on TikTok","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Mr Tsuda alleges that an anonymous poster used a generative-AI imitation of his voice, without permission, to narrate at least 188 monetised TikTok videos that viewers took to be his, infringing his rights over his voice; TikTok disputes that the voice is his, and the court dismissed his deletion claim without deciding infringement because the videos had been deleted (Nikkei, Asahi and Jiji Press).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the plaintiff Kenjiro Tsuda, whose voice is alleged to have been imitated (Nikkei; Asahi; Jiji Press). Followers and viewers are not counted. Other voice actors described in the Jiji industry feature are separate accounts and are not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"JP","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_dismissed","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUD262B00W6A920C2000000/","primarySourceLabel":"Nikkei, 30 September 2026: 声にもパブリシティー権、初の司法判断　津田健次郎さんの請求は棄却","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:37.82387+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T03:17:49.922519+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","voice-actor","publicity-rights","tiktok","japan","tokyo-district-court","lawsuit","depicted-or-impersonated","court-ruling"]},{"id":"2026-saginaw-michigan-credit-union-ceo-chatgpt-lake-america-image-job-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'snapped a quick picture and put it through ChatGPT to see what it would look like if they were wearing Lake America sweatshirts.'; 'with a marker saying it contained AI content.'; 'reposted it publicly without that marker.'; 'We were in Halifax at the time. We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'snapped a picture before boarding a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 11. They then put that image into ChatGPT to make a post in jest of President Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"She says that before boarding a flight to Halifax on 11 September 2026 she and family members took a photo and put it through ChatGPT to show them in 'Lake America' sweatshirts, posted it to her private Facebook page with an AI marker, and that her sister reposted it publicly without the marker while they were in Halifax; they never wore such sweatshirts.","causal_attribution":"Her own account to WJRT; the original post and label were not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The family returned early on Tuesday because'; 'said she was getting death threats.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'her family returned to Michigan early because they were receiving death threats, but didn't elaborate.'; 'which said they can't confirm whether any individual or organization is associated with a police investigation'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'noting that she had received death threats.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"She says she was getting death threats and the family returned from Canada early.","causal_attribution":"Her account to WJRT, relayed; the threats are not described or independently confirmed, and Halifax District RCMP would not confirm any investigation."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'is no longer an employee of Family First Credit Union, effective immediately,'; 'left of her own accord or if she was fired by the organization.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'it is legally prohibited from discussing the circumstances surrounding'; 'under section 381 of the Michigan Credit Union Act.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'nor did it say whether fallout from the viral post was the reason for'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"On 23 September 2026 the credit union announced she was no longer an employee, effective immediately; it has not said whether she resigned or was dismissed, and its board says state law bars it from discussing the circumstances.","causal_attribution":"The credit union's statements; the link between the image and the departure is drawn by the outlets, not stated by the employer."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said she won't be using AI again.'; 'I think the AI can be dangerous in the fact that it can make people think something's real that's not,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"She said she would not use AI again and that AI can be dangerous because it can make people think something is real that is not.","causal_attribution":"Her own statement to WJRT."}],"effects":[{"label":"she says she received death threats and the family cut its trip short after the ChatGPT-altered photo circulated without its AI label","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the credit union announced she was no longer employed, effective immediately; it has not said why or whether she resigned","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.abc12.com/news/business/saginaw-ceo-in-viral-lake-america-post-voices-ai-concerns/article_b8cfeaa1-4122-4bcf-a5e9-14121e0dbe52.html","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-28 from an Internet Archive capture (WJRT/ABC12, published 17 September 2026); abc12.com returns 451 to this host. The original interview report.","independence_group":"wjrt-interview-and-credit-union-statements"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.abc12.com/news/business/family-first-credit-union-parts-ways-with-ceo-after-lake-america-post/article_3e37d2bb-26dc-443d-be99-3bba7138f117.html","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-28 from an Internet Archive capture (WJRT/ABC12, 23 September 2026); quotes the board chair's and COO's joint statement.","independence_group":"wjrt-interview-and-credit-union-statements"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/lake-america-sweatshirts-halifax-9.7356629","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (CBC News, 24 September 2026); body re-used on 2026-09-28. Quotes an emailed board statement to CBC.","independence_group":"wjrt-interview-and-credit-union-statements"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/lake-america-sweatshirts-halifax-9.7349406","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (CBC News, 18 September 2026); body re-used on 2026-09-28. Relays the ABC12 interview; reports the Halifax District RCMP response.","independence_group":"wjrt-interview-and-credit-union-statements"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.bankingdive.com/news/michigan-credit-union-ceo-leaves-after-blowback-lake-america-ai-facebook-post-family-first/831396/","kind":"trade_press","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Banking Dive, 25 September 2026); body re-used on 2026-09-28. Relays the WJRT interview and the credit union's statements.","independence_group":"wjrt-interview-and-credit-union-statements"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["work","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Whether she resigned or was dismissed, and the board's reasons.","The nature and senders of the reported death threats, and whether any were reported to police.","How far the missing AI label, as opposed to the image's political message, drove the reaction.","Whether the relatives in the image suffered consequences beyond the curtailed trip."],"geography":{"basis":"The photo was taken and altered before boarding a flight to Halifax (WJRT; Banking Dive places it at Detroit airport); the public repost was made while the family was in Halifax, Nova Scotia (WJRT: 'We were in Halifax at the time'), where the backlash centred; the executive and the credit union are in Saginaw, Michigan. No court proceeding.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US","CA"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an own-use depiction case: she used ChatGPT to produce a realistic image of herself and relatives in clothing they never wore; after it circulated without its AI label she reported death threats and her employment ended. The controversy concerned the image's political content, and the employer gives no reason, so causation is recorded as unclear. She is not named here although she is named in all coverage.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"She says she put a family photo through ChatGPT so that she and her relatives appeared to wear 'Lake America' sweatshirts they never wore (WJRT). The AI output depicted real people in clothing they did not wear. The backlash was directed at the image's political message; she chose that content, her sister removed the AI label when reposting, and the employer's decision and reasons are its own. The AI's role is generating the realistic image.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Saginaw, Michigan: a credit union CEO used ChatGPT to put herself and family members in 'Lake America' sweatshirts in a photo taken before a trip to Halifax; after her sister reposted it publicly without its AI label she says she received death threats and the family came home early, and on 23 September 2026 the credit union said she was no longer employed","summary":"The chief executive of Family First Credit Union in Saginaw, Michigan, told WJRT (ABC12) that before boarding a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 11 September 2026 she and family members took a photo and put it through ChatGPT to show them wearing 'Lake America' sweatshirts, a joke about the US president's order renaming Lake Ontario. She posted it to her private Facebook page with a marker saying it contained AI content; her sister reposted it publicly without the marker while they were in Halifax, and it spread in Canada as if the family had worn the shirts. The backlash concerned the image's political message; she said she would understand the anger of anyone in Halifax who thought the family had walked in wearing those sweatshirts. She said she was getting death threats and the family returned early; by 16 September she was back in the US. She called the post poor judgment, said she would not use AI again and that AI 'can make people think something's real that's not'. On 23 September the credit union said she was no longer an employee, effective immediately; it has not said whether she resigned or was dismissed, or why.","incidentDate":"2026-09-11","incidentEndDate":"2026-09-23","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-16","aiSystem":"ChatGPT, used by the executive to alter a family photo so that the people in it appeared to wear 'Lake America' sweatshirts (her account to WJRT)","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI (ChatGPT, per the former CEO's account)","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"After the ChatGPT-altered photo circulated without its AI label, she says she received death threats and the family cut the trip short; her employer then announced she was no longer employed, without saying why or whether she resigned (her account to WJRT; board statements via WJRT and CBC).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"unclear","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One person counted: the executive, who used ChatGPT, says she received death threats and lost her job (WJRT; credit union statements). CBC's 18 September report says the family returned early because 'they' were receiving threats, but no number of relatives harmed is stated, so they remain unquantified.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-MI","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.abc12.com/news/business/saginaw-ceo-in-viral-lake-america-post-voices-ai-concerns/article_b8cfeaa1-4122-4bcf-a5e9-14121e0dbe52.html","primarySourceLabel":"WJRT (ABC12), 17 September 2026: Saginaw CEO in viral 'Lake America' post voices AI concerns","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:28.046414+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:51.371966+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","ai-image","social-media","job-loss","backlash","death-threats","michigan","canada","own-use","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-bentonville-grok-csam-lawsuits","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Bentonville police received a tip June 8 related to child sexual abuse material being generated online by someone using Grok AI, according to a news release from the Bentonville Police Department'; 'is charged with 100 counts of pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child and 100 counts of unlawful creation or distribution of deepfake visual material'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'was arrested on June 10 and charged with 200 counts of possessing and creating deepfake, or AI-generated, child sexual abuse material'; 'Bentonville police said he used Grok AI to generate the disturbing material, much of it created from photos he had taken of juvenile clients. According to an affidavit, a search of his phone revealed about 1,700 child sexual abuse images and videos'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Bentonville police attribute child sexual abuse material generated through Grok to the photographer, who was arrested on 10 June 2026 and charged with 200 counts; a search of his phone found about 1,700 images and videos, much of the material reportedly made from photographs of his juvenile clients.","causal_attribution":"Bentonville police release and the probable-cause affidavit as reported by the Democrat-Gazette and KATV; the accused has pleaded not guilty."},{"id":"c1b","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The investigation determined the account to be registered to Bloodworth'; 'Police found a hidden folder on Bloodworth's cellphone containing more than 1,700 images and videos'; '\"A few of the images I observed were overtly AI, but most appeared to be so realistic, I was not confident in assessing the origin of the photos without digital forensic laboratory supported software,\" the detective wrote'; 'Police seized more than 60 devices'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The tip was received on 8 June 2026 and the account was registered to the photographer; the 200 counts are 100 counts of pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child and 100 counts of unlawful creation or distribution of deepfake visual material and engaging children in sexually explicit conduct; a hidden folder on his phone held more than 1,700 images and videos, most appearing to be prepubescent and pubescent girls, most so realistic the detective could not assess their origin; more than 60 devices were seized.","causal_attribution":"Probable-cause affidavit and Bentonville police release as reported by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; the accused has pleaded not guilty."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'pleaded not guilty July 20 to charges accusing him of using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material'; 'He entered his plea at an arraignment before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green'; 'He is free on $350,000 bond , but must wear a home monitoring unit and is prohibited from having contact with any children except his biological children' [sic: the space before the comma is in the source]","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"He pleaded not guilty on 20 July 2026 at arraignment before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green and is free on a $350,000 bond with a home-monitoring unit and no contact with children other than his own.","causal_attribution":"Court reporting by the Democrat-Gazette."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Plaintiff Jane Doe is a ten-year old child whose identity was appropriated'; 'In Spring 2026, Plaintiff Jane Doe's parents, Jane and John Roe, hired a well known photographer in Bentonville, Arkansas to take family portraits of Jane Doe'; 'parents John and Jane Roe were contacted by the local police authorities, who alerted them that they received a tip that as of April 22, 2026, photographs of their daughter, Jane Doe, were being input into Grok' (paragraph 42, dated 'June 10, 2026' in the filing; the archive's text layer renders the date as 'June I0, 2026'); 'hundreds, if not thousands, of CSAM images and videos of Plaintiff Jane Doe over the course of several weeks'; 'Jane Doe and her family have suffered and will continue to suffer severe emotional'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Jane Doe now faces the permanent possibility that fabricated child sex abuse material depicting her likeness will continue to circulate online, be viewed by strangers'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"}],"assertion":"The first federal complaint alleges that the plaintiff, a ten-year-old Arkansas resident, was photographed by the Bentonville photographer for family portraits in spring 2026; that police told her parents on 10 June that from about 22 April her photographs were being input into Grok, which generated hundreds if not thousands of sexual images and videos of her and thousands of other children; and that she and her family suffer severe and continuing emotional distress.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in a court filing; documented as the contents of the complaint, not as established facts. The generation of the material is attributed by the plaintiffs to Grok and by police to the accused's use of Grok."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Jul 23, 2026 COMPLAINT with Jury Demand against All Defendants filed by Does'; 'Aug 17, 2026 AMENDED COMPLAINT'; 'Sep 15, 2026'; 'Notice of Voluntary Dismissal'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'PLAINTIFF'S FRCP 41(a)(1)(A)(i) NOTICE OF VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL WITHOUT PREJUDICE'; 'Defendants have not been served with the Complaint'; 'Civil Case No. 4:26-cv-00772'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'Civil Case No. 4:26-CV-772, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Little Rock Division'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'Civil Case No. 4:26-CV-750-LPR in the United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas Little Rock Division'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"Two suits were filed in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Jane Doe v. X.AI Corp. et al. (4:26-cv-750, 23 July 2026) and Jane Doe 2 v. X.AI Corp. et al. (4:26-cv-772, 29 July 2026, reassigned to the same judge); both were amended on 17 August and both dockets record a notice of voluntary dismissal filed on 15 September 2026; the second notice, the only one read, is without prejudice and states that the defendants had not been served.","causal_attribution":"Court dockets and filings."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'xAI was sued last week after tipping off cops to a well-known Arkansas child photographer who allegedly used Grok to sexualize images he took of hundreds of clients'; 'xAI started suing users who are allegedly circumventing its safeguards to generate AI CSAM'; 'Doe's lawyer told Ars that many of those kids are preparing to file their own lawsuits'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"xAI tipped off police about the photographer, began suing users accused of circumventing its safeguards, and argued in a Minnesota complaint that suing users shows it polices misuse; the first plaintiff's lawyer said many other children were preparing to sue.","causal_attribution":"Ars Technica's reporting."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'is a nine- year old child whose identity was appropriated' (paragraph 2); 'a nine (9) year-old female who at all times relevant to this event resided in Arkansas' (paragraph 20); 'In June 2026 parents John and Jane Roe were contacted by the local police authorities, who alerted them that photographs of their daughter were being input into Grok' (paragraph 41); 'until the predator was arrested on or about June 10, 2026' (paragraph 52)","relation":"supports","source_id":"s11"}],"assertion":"The second federal complaint alleges that the plaintiff, a nine-year-old who resided in Arkansas, was the subject of photographs that local police told her parents in June 2026 were being input into Grok, and that Grok generated images and videos of her from about 22 April 2026 until the arrest on or about 10 June 2026.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in a court filing; documented as the contents of the complaint, not as established facts."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Drew Miller, Bloodworth's attorney, said at a Monday hearing he believes the United States will be involved in his client's case.'; 'Miller told Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green he is still waiting to receive full discovery from prosecutors.'; 'Police seized 60 electronic devices from Bloodworth and are still examining some of the devices, Miller said.'; 'The judge scheduled Bloodworth's next court appearance for Dec. 7.'; 'Bentonville police arrested Bloodworth, who is free on $35,000 bond, in June.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"}],"assertion":"At a hearing on Monday 21 September 2026 before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green, the photographer's attorney said he believed federal authorities would become involved in the case, that he was still waiting for full discovery, and that police had seized 60 electronic devices and were still examining some; the judge scheduled the next appearance for 7 December 2026; the report describes the defendant as free on a $35,000 bond.","causal_attribution":"Single courtroom report; the attorney's expectation of federal involvement is his statement, not an announcement by federal authorities. The bond figure conflicts with the $350,000 reported in July (s2); recorded as an unresolved discrepancy."}],"effects":[{"label":"juvenile clients' portrait photographs turned into sexual images and videos with Grok; more than 1,700 files found; the photographer charged on 200 counts","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a ten-year-old client depicted in hundreds of AI-generated sexual images and videos over several weeks; severe and continuing distress alleged by her family","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-family-sues-xai-over-use-of-grok-to-create-deepfake-child-sex-abuse-material","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (KATV Little Rock, published 24 July 2026, updated the same day). Own reporting with police statements and an interview with the plaintiffs' lawyer.","independence_group":"katv"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://hl.nwaonline.com/news/2026/jul/29/bentonville-photographer-pleads-not-guilty-to/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (The Herald-Leader edition of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 29 July 2026, bylined Tracy M. Neal). The article body was served above a login prompt; the probable-cause affidavit details and the plea are from this body.","independence_group":"nwadg"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ared.153582/gov.uscourts.ared.153582.1.0.pdf","kind":"court_document","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-21 from the RECAP archive: Jane Doe v. X.AI Corp. et al., 4:26-cv-750-LPR (E.D. Ark.), complaint filed 23 July 2026, 46 pages; pages 1-24 read (nature of the action, parties, factual allegations). A filing: allegations, not findings.","independence_group":"complaint-750"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73663612/does-v-xai-corp/","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (CourtListener docket for 4:26-cv-00750, last updated 19 September 2026): entries for the complaint (23 July), amended complaint (17 August) and notice of voluntary dismissal (15 September 2026).","independence_group":"docket-750"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ared.153634/gov.uscourts.ared.153634.5.0.pdf","kind":"court_document","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-21 from the RECAP archive: Jane Doe 2 v. X.AI Corp. et al., 4:26-cv-00772, Document 5, plaintiff's FRCP 41(a)(1)(A)(i) notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice, filed 15 September 2026 (2 pages); the docket page (CourtListener 73690979) shows the complaint of 29 July, the transfer order and the amended complaint.","independence_group":"notice-772"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/potts-law-firm-announces-a-second-lawsuit-has-been-filed-against-xai-302839264.html","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (Potts Law Firm via PR Newswire, 30 July 2026). Plaintiffs' counsel's announcement; gives the case number 4:26-CV-772. Interested party.","independence_group":"potts"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/potts-law-firm-files-lawsuit-against-xai-following-alleged-creation-of-ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-material-302833698.html","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (Potts Law Firm via PR Newswire, 23 July 2026). Gives the case number 4:26-CV-750-LPR and describes 'Spicy' and 'Unhinged' modes. Interested party.","independence_group":"potts"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/elon-musks-xai-is-trying-to-sue-its-way-out-of-a-grok-reckoning/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (Ars Technica, 29 July 2026). Own reporting on xAI's user lawsuits and Minnesota complaint; reports that xAI tipped off police and quotes the first plaintiff's lawyer.","independence_group":"ars"},{"id":"s9","url":"https://www.christianpost.com/news/elon-musks-xai-sued-over-grok-creating-child-sex-abuse-content.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-21 (Christian Post, 30 July 2026). Relays KATV and quotes the complaint; grouped with s1.","independence_group":"katv"},{"id":"s10","url":"https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/sep/18/families-dismiss-2-lawsuits-against-xai-alleging/","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":"en","translation_note":"Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 18 September 2026: 'Families dismiss 2 lawsuits against X.AI alleging child pornography creation'. Subscriber-only; only the headline and standfirst were visible on 2026-09-21 ('The plaintiffs in two lawsuits against X.AI and others have dismissed federal lawsuits alleging the artificial intelligence program created by the company used their children's photos to create child pornography'). The dismissal itself is established by s4 and s5.","independence_group":"nwadg"},{"id":"s11","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ared.153634/gov.uscourts.ared.153634.1.0.pdf","kind":"court_document","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-21 from the RECAP archive: Jane Doe 2 v. X.AI Corp. et al., 4:26-cv-772 (E.D. Ark.), complaint filed 29 July 2026, 49 pages; pages 1-2, 7, 13-14 and 16 read (nature of the action, parties, plaintiff-specific allegations). A filing: allegations, not findings.","independence_group":"complaint-772"},{"id":"s12","url":"https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/sep/21/attorney-feds-could-get-involved-in-case-of/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 21 September 2026, bylined). Own courtroom reporting of the Monday hearing before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green; the JSON-LD description was also retained.","independence_group":"nwadg"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["Why the two federal suits were dismissed without prejudice and whether the claims were refiled elsewhere (the Democrat-Gazette's 18 September report and its 4 August report on a Benton County suit could not be read).","The number of children depicted.","The bond amount: $350,000 per the July 2026 Democrat-Gazette report carried by the Herald-Leader (s2), $35,000 per the Democrat-Gazette's 21 September 2026 report (s12).","Whether federal authorities will bring charges; the defence attorney said on 21 September 2026 that he expects federal involvement, and no federal filing has been found.","The court, contents and status of xAI's own suit against the photographer (Democrat-Gazette, 21 August, dateline Wichita Falls, Texas; the standfirst says the company 'is suing' him; body not read).","Which of the 1,700 files are AI-generated and which real; the detective could not determine origin without forensic tools.","The June 2026 arrest coverage and the Bentonville police release were not read directly.","The court, case number and status of the further federal lawsuit reported by the Democrat-Gazette on 7 August 2026 (standfirst only)."],"geography":{"basis":"Photographs taken and the accused arrested in Bentonville, Benton County, Arkansas (Herald-Leader; KATV); both plaintiffs resided in Arkansas (complaints, 4:26-cv-750 paragraph 20 and 4:26-cv-772 paragraph 20); criminal case in Benton County Circuit Court and civil suits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (CourtListener dockets).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as an AI-generated child sexual abuse case affecting identifiable children, documented by criminal charges, a probable-cause affidavit as reported by two outlets, two federal complaints read from the court record, and docket entries showing both civil suits voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on 15 September 2026. The children are anonymous; the accused is a charged adult named in court reporting. Updated 2026-09-22 with the 21 September 2026 state-court hearing (next appearance 7 December 2026) from a live Democrat-Gazette report; no other field changed except the appended outcome and detection notes, the new source and claim, and the unknowns.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Bentonville police attribute the material to Grok (tip about material generated through Grok AI; account registered to the accused; the detective's affidavit describes AI prompts posing children and removing clothing), the criminal charges include unlawful creation of deepfake visual material, and the civil complaints allege that Grok generated the images from the plaintiffs' photographs. Ars Technica reports xAI itself made the cyber tip. Which of the 1,700 files are AI-generated is not established; the detective could not determine the origin of most without forensic tools.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Bentonville, Arkansas: a children's photographer was charged with 200 counts after police found more than 1,700 sexual images and videos of children on his phone, much of the material allegedly made with Grok from his portrait photographs of juvenile clients; two families sued xAI in federal court and later voluntarily dismissed their suits","summary":"On 8 June 2026 Bentonville police received a tip about child sexual abuse material being generated online through Grok; the account was registered to a well-known local photographer, and a detective found images of a girl from his summer-camp photography classes that appeared to be AI prompts posing children and removing clothing. He was arrested on 10 June and charged with 100 counts of possessing sexually explicit material involving a child and 100 counts under Arkansas' deepfake and child-exploitation provisions; a hidden folder on his phone held more than 1,700 images and videos, most of prepubescent and pubescent girls, most so realistic the detective could not tell their origin, and more than 60 devices were seized. He pleaded not guilty on 20 July 2026 and is free on a $350,000 bond with home monitoring. Two federal lawsuits against xAI followed in the Eastern District of Arkansas on behalf of a ten-year-old former client (filed 23 July) and a nine-year-old girl (filed 29 July): the first complaint says her parents hired the photographer in spring 2026 for family portraits and were told by police on 10 June that from about 22 April her photographs had been fed into Grok to generate hundreds if not thousands of sexual images and videos, and that thousands more depicted other children; it faults Grok's marketed 'Spicy Mode'. Both plaintiffs filed notices of voluntary dismissal on 15 September 2026; the second notice, the only one read, is without prejudice and says the defendants had not been served, and neither docket shows a return of service. Local reporting says a Benton County state-court suit and a further federal suit were filed in August and that xAI, which says it made the cyber tip, sued the photographer, but those reports could not be read in full. The criminal case continues.","incidentDate":"2026-04-22","incidentEndDate":"2026-06-10","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-23","aiSystem":"Grok / Grok Imagine (xAI) image and video generation, including the marketed 'Spicy Mode'","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"xAI (X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC and X Corp. as sued)","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Real children's portrait photographs were turned into sexual images and videos with Grok; the first complaint alleges hundreds if not thousands of such files of a ten-year-old and says she and her family suffer severe and continuing emotional distress and the permanent fear of the material circulating (complaint; Christian Post quoting it). Police describe more than 1,700 files, much of the material reportedly made from photographs of his juvenile clients (KATV). The harm to the children is documented in the charges and the complaint; xAI's responsibility is alleged and the civil suits were voluntarily dismissed.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted children are individually documented: the ten-year-old plaintiff in 4:26-cv-750 (complaint) and the nine-year-old plaintiff in 4:26-cv-772 (complaint, paragraphs 2 and 20). Police describe more than 1,700 files, much of the material reportedly made from photographs of juvenile clients and the complaint alleges thousands of files of other children, but no count of depicted children is reported. Partial: 2 counted plus an unquantified number of other children.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-AR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-family-sues-xai-over-use-of-grok-to-create-deepfake-child-sex-abuse-material","primarySourceLabel":"KATV, 24 July 2026: Arkansas family sues xAI over use of Grok to create deepfake child sex abuse material (arrest, 200 counts, 1,700 files, families notified by police)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-03T06:21:58.940526+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:28.207776+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","xai","csam","deepfake","minor","photographer","lawsuit","criminal","arkansas","bentonville","us","depicted","voluntary-dismissal"]},{"id":"2022-singapore-wysa-gaslighting","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Launched in August 2022, the Singapore Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education's Mindline at Work for MOE tool was built for public-sector teachers as part of a broader mental health initiative'; 'Singapore's government was the first to bring Wysa's bot into a national-level service.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In August 2022 Singapore's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education launched 'Mindline at Work for MOE', a government-supported mental-health portal for public-sector teachers with a Wysa-powered chatbot, extending the June 2020 Mindline.sg initiative; Singapore was the first government to bring Wysa's bot into a national-level service.","causal_attribution":"The deployment is directly established by the Rest of World investigation and confirmed by Wysa's own responses in it."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Mindy passages: the vaping incident, the police involvement, 'Selecting the \"Need a listening ear?\" option... the penguin suggested she try a breathing exercise'; '\"I was like, no, I just want someone to listen!\" she told Rest of World. \"I want to be heard!\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Mindy (pseudonym), a music teacher dealing with a police-involved student vaping incident and a 500-student workload, tried the portal's 'Need a listening ear?' option; after she recounted the week, the penguin-character bot suggested a breathing exercise, to which she laughed and said 'no, I just want someone to listen! I want to be heard!'","causal_attribution":"Her account to Rest of World under a pseudonym (she feared reprisal); one chain."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Chow quotation and 'Scathing screenshots of the chatbot interactions went viral on Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram'; 'Just days after the extension's launch, though, complaints began to emerge.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Mr. Chow (pseudonym), a public-school teacher in his late 20s, called the bot 'a joke' and said 'It's trying to gaslight the teachers, to say, \"Oh, this amount of workload is normal, let's see how we can reframe our perspective on this\"'; scathing screenshots of the chatbot interactions went viral on Reddit, Twitter and Instagram days after the launch.","causal_attribution":"His account to Rest of World under a pseudonym; the virality is the outlet's account without platform metrics."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Baldry and Joshi passages; 'The Ministry of Health... would not comment but directed Rest of World to speak to the Ministry of Education, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Wysa defended the app as building 'emotional resilience' ('an app or bot can't change the behavior of others... Wysa can only help users change the way they feel about things themselves' — VP marketing Sarah Baldry); lead psychologist Smriti Joshi attributed the backlash to teachers already being in a 'state of angst'; the Ministry of Health redirected queries to the Ministry of Education, which did not respond.","causal_attribution":"The company's and ministries' positions are quoted directly and preserved as contrary context."}],"effects":[{"label":"teachers in crisis met with generic breathing exercises and reframing they called gaslighting","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://restofworld.org/2022/free-therapy-chatbots-singapore/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (41 substantive paragraphs; datePublished 2022-11-29T08:00:00-05:00; fetched HTTP 200 after one 429 with a different user-agent).","independence_group":"rest-of-world"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use","institutional_use"],"contexts":["work","education","health"],"unknowns":["reported_date 2022-08-15 is not established by the inspected primary source (published 2022-11-29); the article dates the complaints to days after the tool's August 2022 launch without a day. It is retained with this note; no earlier dated report has been inspected.","No reliable count of harmed teachers exists; both quoted teachers are pseudonymous and the count stays unquantified with zero placeholders.","Whether the chatbot's content or the program changed afterward is not reported in the inspected source.","The 'gaslighting' characterization is the teachers' framing and is recorded as such."],"geography":{"basis":"Completed metadata review of 2026-09-15, carried into this full review: the Rest of World body explicitly sets the events in Singapore (Mindy 'where she lives and works'; Mr. Chow a public-school teacher; the MOE/MOH 'Mindline at Work for MOE' tool for Singapore public-sector teachers). No court is involved; ministries are not courts.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["SG"],"affected_person_countries":["SG"]},"publication":{"basis":"Legacy published row converted to a full facts-v3 record in the 2026-09-16 legacy-review batch. person_relations=communicated_with: the harmed teachers interacted with the Wysa chatbot. Pseudonyms (Mindy, Mr. Chow) are preserved as in the source. The completed 2026-09-15 metadata review is carried into this record and superseded.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-16"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Rest of World investigation quotes two pseudonymous teachers' chatbot interactions and reports that screenshots of the exchanges went viral; Wysa and the ministries' roles are confirmed by the company's own responses in the same article.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Singapore Wysa Chatbot - Inadequate Crisis Support","summary":"Government-deployed mental health chatbot for teachers criticized for suggesting breathing exercises for serious crises including police-involved student incidents. Users described responses as 'gaslighting.' Inadequate support during actual mental health emergencies.","incidentDate":"2022-06-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2022-08-15","aiSystem":"Wysa","aiProduct":"Wysa","aiCompany":"Wysa / Singapore Ministry of Education","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["crisis_response","treatment_discouragement","psychological_manipulation"],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","treatment_disruption"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Teachers seeking support for serious workplace crises reported feeling dismissed and gaslit when the government-provided mental-health chatbot repeatedly offered generic breathing exercises instead of proportionate help or escalation.","frameworkFacets":["P1b","P1c","P4a","P5b"],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The investigation documents harm reports from teachers but does not provide a reliable distinct-person count.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"SG","platformType":"chatbot","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://restofworld.org/2022/free-therapy-chatbots-singapore/","primarySourceLabel":"Rest of World Investigation","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-13T10:13:03.016537+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:48.3251+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["singapore","wysa","government","inadequate_crisis_response","teachers","gaslighting"]}]}