{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-27T06:26:10.803Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"financial_loss","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"","response":"minors","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":2,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":3,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":1,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":1,"relationPending":1,"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-boca-raton-lyft-ai-damage-claim","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was a $75 damage fee from Lyft.'; 'said they didn’t leave a mess in the Lyft, contrary to what a Lyft customer service representative told'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the $75 charge came after his daughters were accused of leaving a mess inside the vehicle'; 'a fraud alert from my phone from Chase saying that I have an unrecognized charge from Lyft'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'took a Lyft home from the beach on Saturday, May 16'; 'he had been charged a $75 damage fee, in addition to the rideshare cost, for an alleged mess the driver claimed the teens had left behind in the car'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On Saturday 16 May 2026, after his teenage daughters' Lyft ride home from the beach in Boca Raton, Florida, a father received a bank fraud alert for a $75 Lyft damage fee charged on top of the fare; Lyft customer service told him the driver had reported that the riders left a mess in the car.","causal_attribution":"The father's account in three separate interviews (one origin); the ride date is stated by ABC. The accounts differ on who rode: WPBF says his two daughters, WPTV his daughters and a friend, ABC one daughter and a friend. Lyft's own records of the charge were not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'She goes, ‘Dad, that's AI, you could see the Gemini logo on the bottom right-hand side of one of the photos,’'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'depicts the interior of a car with what appears to be a beverage and french fries spilled across the backseat and carpet'; 'spotted an AI logo in the bottom righthand corner of the photo, which she said tipped her off that the image was allegedly AI-generated'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'And she points to it, and it's the AI hologram on the photo, and I'm like, oh my God, you're right.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The photo that Lyft customer service sent the father as the driver's proof depicted a car interior with what appeared to be a spilled drink and french fries, and one daughter pointed out a Gemini logo in its bottom right-hand corner, which the family took as showing the image was AI-generated.","causal_attribution":"The family's identification of the logo, reported by the father and the daughter; ABC's description of the photo as supplied by the father. No independent examination of the image or of the driver's account was reported; the attribution to Gemini rests on the family's reading of the watermark."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'we verify everything with the drivers, and the driver, you know, sent us pictures. And I said, well, I asked them to send me the pictures'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'which initially sided with the driver. He then asked for the evidence'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Lyft customer service told the father that it verifies damage reports with drivers and that the driver had sent pictures; WPTV reports that Lyft initially sided with the driver until he asked for the evidence.","causal_attribution":"The father's account of his chat with Lyft customer service (one origin); Lyft's statements describe its review process only in general terms."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the Lyft rep agreed that the images were created using AI, apologized, and blocked the driver from their app'; 'declined the charge'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'he says Lyft agreed and apologized. The company reimbursed the family and permanently removed the driver from the platform.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'which ultimately agreed with the pair's assessment that the photo was fake and apologized'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The father says that after he pointed out the logo, the Lyft representative agreed the images were AI-made, apologised and blocked the driver; WPBF reports that he declined the charge, and WPTV reports that the company reimbursed the family.","causal_attribution":"The father's account of Lyft's reaction (one origin). Lyft's agreement that the image was AI-generated is reported by the father; the company's statements do not say so. Whether the charge was reversed or repaid is reported differently (declined per WPBF; reimbursed per WPTV; reimbursement offered per Lyft)."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'We have reviewed the rider’s concerns, offered reimbursement, unpaired the rider and driver, and addressed the matter directly with the driver.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'We have reviewed the rider's concerns, offered reimbursement, and permanently removed the driver from the platform.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, a Lyft spokesperson said'; 'offered reimbursement, and permanently removed the driver from the platform.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A Lyft spokesperson told WPBF that the company had reviewed the rider's concerns, offered reimbursement, unpaired the rider and driver and addressed the matter with the driver; in later statements to WPTV and ABC News the spokesperson said the driver had been permanently removed from the platform.","causal_attribution":"Company statements quoted by the three outlets (one origin: the Lyft spokesperson). The statements confirm an offered reimbursement and action against the driver; they do not say the photo was AI-generated."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'posted his story on a Boca community Facebook page, getting several responses from other people who have had similar experiences'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'he said several people shared that they had encountered similar experiences'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'just take a picture of the car when you get out of the car'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The father posted about the episode on a community Facebook page and says several people responded that they had encountered similar experiences; he now asks his daughters to photograph the car when they leave a ride.","causal_attribution":"The father's account; the responses are not quantified or verified."}],"effects":[{"label":"a father was charged a disputed $75 damage fee and his teenage daughters were accused of leaving a mess; Lyft initially upheld the charge on a driver's photo the family says was AI-generated","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wpbf.com/article/lyft-driver-ai-falsely-accuse-damaging-car/71341981","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-08 and again on 2026-10-14 from the Internet Archive capture 20260915020212 (the live page returned HTTP 451 on both dates; the capture, not the publisher's site, was read); updated 18 May 2026. WPBF's own interview with the father plus a Lyft spokesperson statement given to WPBF. The family-account claims in this report share one origin (the father's interviews) with the WPTV and ABC reports, so they are not treated as independent corroboration.","independence_group":"wpbf"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/our-community/boca-raton-delray-beach/boca-raton-father-catches-lyft-driver-using-ai-to-fake-car-damage-driver-removed","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-08 and again on 2026-10-14 (live, HTTP 200; datePublished 21 May 2026). WPTV's own interview with the father plus a Lyft spokesperson statement given to WPTV; the page notes that portions of the story were assisted by AI tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist. Family-account claims share one origin (the father) with the other two reports.","independence_group":"wptv"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/News/father-daughter-speak-after-lyft-driver-accused-ai/story?id=133144373","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-08 and again on 2026-10-14 (live, HTTP 200; dated 20 May 2026). ABC News / Good Morning America interview with the father and one daughter plus a Lyft spokesperson statement given to ABC News. Family-account claims share one origin (the family's interviews) with the other two reports; the daughter's own remarks concern her recognition of the logo and her reaction.","independence_group":"abc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","finance"],"unknowns":["Whether the image was in fact AI-generated has not been examined by anyone other than the family; Lyft's statements do not address it and the driver's account is not reported.","Whether the $75 charge was reversed or repaid: the father says he declined it, WPTV reports the family was reimbursed, and Lyft says it offered reimbursement.","Who rode: the accounts differ between two daughters (WPBF), the daughters and a friend (WPTV) and one daughter and a friend (ABC).","The driver is not named and no police report or legal action is reported.","How many other riders encountered similar claims is not quantified beyond the father's description of responses to his post.","When the driver sent the photo to Lyft: the reports say customer service told the father the driver had sent pictures and that Lyft initially sided with the driver, but not whether the photo accompanied the original damage report or was supplied only after the father disputed the charge."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: a Lyft ride home from Red Reef Park in Boca Raton, Florida (WPTV; WPBF dateline Boca Raton). Affected people: ABC describes the father as 'of Florida' and WPBF and WPTV as a Boca Raton man. No court.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Relation-backfill full review (2026-10-14) under the 2026-10-06 informed_decision_about clarification: a father's attributed account, given in three separate interviews, that a Lyft damage-fee charge was upheld on a driver-supplied photo his daughter identified as AI-generated by its Gemini logo, with Lyft's statements confirming an offered reimbursement and the driver's removal. The AI output informed Lyft's handling of the charge about the father; when the driver supplied it is unknown. All claims are reported because the family account is one origin and the company statements do not confirm the AI generation. Low severity; no death; the father's name and the minors' names and ages are kept out of the public text.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-14"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The output: the photo Lyft sent the father as the driver's proof of a mess, which ABC describes as showing a spilled drink and french fries on a car's back seat and which the family says carried a Gemini logo in the corner (c2). The human use: Lyft customer service told the father that it verifies damage reports with drivers and that the driver had sent pictures, and WPTV reports that Lyft initially sided with the driver (c3). The consequence: a $75 damage fee charged to the father's card (c1), which Lyft upheld on the driver's pictures until the family pointed out the logo. No report says whether the driver supplied the photo with the original damage report or only after the father disputed the charge, so the output is recorded as informing the company's handling of the charge, with the timing unknown. The AI generation rests on the family's reading of the watermark as relayed in their interviews; the father says Lyft agreed, but Lyft's own statements only confirm an offered reimbursement and action against the driver, so the involvement is recorded as reported. The AI did not communicate with the family; its output informed the company's charge decision about the father (informed_decision_about).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["informed_decision_about"]},"name":"Boca Raton father says a Lyft driver's damage-fee photo was AI-generated; Lyft says it offered reimbursement and removed the driver","summary":"A Boca Raton, Florida father told WPBF, WPTV and ABC News that after his teenage daughters took a Lyft home from the beach (on Saturday 16 May 2026, according to ABC News), he was charged a $75 damage fee because the driver reported that the riders had left a mess. Lyft customer service told him the driver had sent pictures. One daughter pointed out a Gemini logo in the corner of the photo, which the family took as showing it was AI-generated. The father says Lyft then agreed, apologised and blocked the driver. Lyft's statements say it reviewed the rider's concerns, offered reimbursement and, per its later statements, permanently removed the driver; they do not say the photo was AI-generated.","incidentDate":"2026-05-16","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-05-18","aiSystem":"AI image generation; the family says the driver's damage photo carried a Google Gemini logo","aiProduct":"Gemini (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A father was charged a $75 Lyft damage fee, which he disputed, and his teenage daughters were accused of leaving a mess in the car; Lyft initially upheld the charge on a driver-supplied photo the family says was AI-generated; Lyft says it offered reimbursement and removed the driver, and whether the charge was repaid or reversed is reported differently.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Three people at minimum: the father, who was charged the disputed $75 fee, and at least two teenage riders accused of leaving a mess (two daughters per WPBF; daughters and a friend per WPTV; one daughter and a friend per ABC). None used the AI tool, so all are counted under other people harmed. People who answered the father's Facebook post are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wpbf.com/article/lyft-driver-ai-falsely-accuse-damaging-car/71341981","primarySourceLabel":"WPBF 25 News, 18 May 2026: Lyft driver uses AI to falsely accuse Boca Raton man's daughters of damaging car","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-17T03:27:40.160475+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T03:00:25.536894+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-image","damage-fee-dispute","rideshare","lyft","gemini","united-states","florida","consumer","everyday-life"]},{"id":"2026-operacao-sophia-ai-voice-clone-donation-scam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os criminosos utilizavam clonagem de voz e deepfake para simular apelos emocionais das crianças'; pages 'Clube de Doadores' and 'Unidos pelo Amor'; 'sites que imitavam plataformas legítimas de arrecadação, como o Vakinha... código Pix... contas de empresas de fachada'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'As principais produções eram feitas com crianças em tratamento de doenças graves'; pages 'Clube de Doadores', 'Doadores com Amor' and 'Unidos pelo Amor'; the fake-site Pix mechanics paragraph.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The group used AI tools, deepfake and voice cloning to turn real fundraising campaigns of children with serious illnesses into fake donation appeals, boosted by pages named 'Clube de Doadores', 'Doadores com Amor' and 'Unidos pelo Amor', leading donors to lookalike sites that issued Pix codes to shell companies.","causal_attribution":"Both chains attribute the method to the investigating police; the specific AI tools are not named."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"The fake audio text ('O remédio que pode me ajudar é muito caro...'); 'Apenas na campanha falsa envolvendo a imagem da menina, a polícia rastreou R$ 294,5 mil desviados'; 'Foi horrível. A gente perdeu o sono, eu chorei muito'; the donors-'eu doei' passage.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'apenas em relação à falsa campanha que deu origem ao inquérito, ao menos R$ 294,5 mil diretamente rastreados entre chave Pix e gateways de pagamento'; 'A família da criança não autorizou a campanha e não recebeu os valores arrecadados.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The originating fake campaign used the image of Kelen Santos's daughter and an AI-generated child voice — 'O remédio que pode me ajudar é muito caro... qualquer valor já me dá mais um dia com a minha mãe' — and police traced R$294,500 diverted in that campaign; the family lost sleep and had to tell congratulating donors their money had gone to a scam.","causal_attribution":"The diverted amount is the police's traced figure for the originating campaign, carried by both chains; the mother's distress is her own account."},{"id":"c3","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'A operação contra o estelionato e a lavagem de dinheiro prendeu 16 pessoas nesta terça-feira (14)... em cidades de cinco estados diferentes'; 'uma empresa... núcleo financeiro do grupo... movimentou mais de R$ 1,7 milhão'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A \"Operação Sophia\" acontece por meio da Delegacia de Repressão aos Crimes Patrimoniais Eletrônicos do Rio Grande do Sul, sob coordenação do Delegado João Vitor Herédia. Até o momento, 16 pessoas foram presas preventivamente'; states listed; the R$1.7M hub passage.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Operação Sophia, launched on Tuesday 14 July 2026 by the DRCPE under Delegate João Vitor Herédia, preventively arrested 16 people across five states (RS, PR, SP, MS, PE); a financial-hub company moved more than R$1.7 million in the investigated period.","causal_attribution":"Official police action carried by two independent chains; charges and trials are not yet reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A vaquinha verdadeira foi encerrada pela família após o valor necessário ser atingido. O tratamento foi realizado e a menina apresenta melhora no quadro de saúde.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The daughter's legitimate fundraising campaign had ended earlier after reaching its goal; her treatment was completed and her health is improving.","causal_attribution":"Recovery context preserved per the charter; single chain, attributed."}],"effects":[{"label":"a sick child's image and AI-cloned voice fronted a fake fundraiser that diverted R$294,500; her family absorbed the social cost","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"recovery context: the daughter's legitimate campaign met its goal earlier and her health is improving","claim_id":"c4","direction":"positive"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://g1.globo.com/rs/rio-grande-do-sul/noticia/2026/07/15/vitima-golpe-ia-vaquinha-crianca-cancer-mae.ghtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese on 2026-09-15 (g1 RS / RBS TV, by Duda Romagna; operation dated 'terça-feira (14)' July 2026). Model translation, no human reviewer.","independence_group":"g1"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/sul/rs/organizacao-criminosa-de-falsas-doacoes-online-e-alvo-de-operacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese on 2026-09-15 (datePublished 2026-07-14T08:00-03:00, updated 12:49). Model translation, no human reviewer.","independence_group":"cnn-brasil"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://noticias.uol.com.br/cotidiano/ultimas-noticias/2026/07/14/policia-civil-mira-grupo-suspeito-de-golpe-com-falsas-doacoes-e-pix.ghtm","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"HTTP 403 (Akamai) on 2026-09-15; headline verified in Google News RSS. Body not inspected; language not established.","independence_group":"uol"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["health","finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The specific AI voice-cloning and deepfake tools are not named in the inspected reporting.","How many children were used nationwide is unknown to the police; the number of defrauded donors is not reported.","Whether the 16 arrested have been charged, and with what offences, is not yet reported.","Whether any funds were recovered for donors is not reported.","The start date of the fake campaigns is not stated; only the operation date (14 July 2026) is firm."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the fake campaigns and the operation across Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Pernambuco. Affected persons: the child and family in Rio Grande do Sul; donors nationwide. No court proceeding is reported yet; a police unit is not a court.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["BR"],"affected_person_countries":["BR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation/fraud case (depicted_or_impersonated): a sick child's image and AI-cloned voice weaponized for donation fraud, documented by two independent chains carrying police figures, with recovery context preserved. The child is unnamed, as in the sources; the mother spoke publicly. Donors are unquantified; money amounts are recorded but never converted to person counts.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-15"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Both inspected chains attribute to the investigating police that the group used AI tools, deepfake and voice cloning for the fake appeals; g1 reproduces the AI-generated audio's text from the fake video. The specific tools are not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Brazil: scammers used AI-cloned voices and images of children with cancer in fake donation campaigns; 16 arrested in Operação Sophia","summary":"On 14 July 2026 the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police launched Operação Sophia against a group that used AI voice cloning and deepfake to turn real fundraising campaigns of children with cancer into fake donation appeals: AI-generated child voices asked for money in videos boosted by pages such as 'Clube de Doadores' and 'Unidos pelo Amor', leading donors to lookalike sites that issued Pix codes to shell companies. Sixteen people were arrested across five states. In the campaign that started the investigation — using the image of Kelen Santos's daughter, who was in cancer treatment — police traced R$294,500 diverted, and the investigation found a financial-hub company that moved more than R$1.7 million. The family had to tell congratulating donors that their money had gone to a scam.","incidentDate":"2026-07-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-07-14","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-07-14","aiSystem":"AI voice-cloning and deepfake video tools (unspecified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["third_party_harm_facilitation"],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A sick child's image and an AI clone of her voice were weaponized into a fake fundraiser that diverted R$294,500 from donors, leaving her family sleepless and forced to tell donors their gifts had gone to scammers; police say other sick children were used nationwide in unknown numbers.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One counted depicted child: the daughter in the originating case, whose image and AI-cloned voice were used (mother's and police accounts). Police state they do not know how many other children were used nationwide, and defrauded donors are unquantified people — so the total is counted-plus-unquantified (partial). Money amounts are not person counts and are not converted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"BR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://g1.globo.com/rs/rio-grande-do-sul/noticia/2026/07/15/vitima-golpe-ia-vaquinha-crianca-cancer-mae.ghtml","primarySourceLabel":"g1 RS / RBS TV (15 Jul 2026, Duda Romagna) — the mother's account, the fake audio's text, and the operation details","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-15T09:29:09.751654+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:48.500733+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["depicted-or-impersonated","voice-clone","deepfake","fraud","donation-scam","children","brazil"]},{"id":"2024-moxie-embodied-shutdown-grief","metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"Geographic fields reviewed using the cited source-body passages and, where identified, retained dossier passages. Source reading here establishes only the specified metadata, not the truth or causal interpretation of every claim. Affected-person countries refer to reported location or residence, not citizenship or a complete residence history.","evidence":[{"kind":"source_body","locator":"Paragraph on Adero Harrison identifies a Florida family managing its child’s Moxie shutdown.","location":"https://pirg.org/articles/moxie-robot-open-source/","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]}],"court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"unresolved":["No court country established in this review. Regulatory authorities and police locations are not automatically courts."],"reviewed_on":"2026-09-15","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://pirg.org/articles/moxie-robot-open-source/","notes":"Body read. At least one affected family is located; the complete distribution of owners remains unknown.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Moxie companion-robot shutdown: children's grief after Embodied's collapse","summary":"On 26 November 2024 Embodied Inc. told families that it was closing after a lead investor withdrew from a funding round, and that Moxie, its $799 cloud-dependent conversational robot marketed to children aged 5-10 and to families of autistic children, would stop working 'within days'. Parents posted videos of children crying as they were told their robot friend was going to 'die'; the company offered no refunds and a scripted letter from the fictional 'Global Robotics Lab' to help explain the shutdown. A peer-reviewed CHI 2026 case study of the company's communications and users' reactions found that, with no offboarding design, the emotional burden of ending the bond was shifted onto parents. The servers went dark at the end of January 2025; a volunteer-built local server, OpenMoxie, let some owners keep a reduced version running.","incidentDate":"2024-11-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"product_change","reportedDate":"2024-12-09","aiSystem":"Moxie (Embodied Inc.)","aiProduct":"Moxie","aiCompany":"Embodied Inc.","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":["dependency_creation"],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Children who had bonded with the robot showed acute distress when told it would stop working, documented in parents' videos and accounts reported by Popular Science, Aftermath, Gizmodo, Axios, PIRG and others and analysed in a CHI 2026 case study. Families lost the $799 purchase price with no refund. No clinical outcomes were documented.","frameworkFacets":["P2c","P4d"],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The record identifies one child through a named parent's account. Additional children and affected families are documented but not enumerated reliably.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"companion","outcomeType":"product_shutdown","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.popsci.com/technology/moxie-robot-offline/","primarySourceLabel":"Popular Science (Mack DeGeurin): 'I love you... goodbye:' What will happen when this companion robot suddenly dies?","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-05T11:55:06.391991+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:52.617316+00:00","scopeVersion":"participant-v2","tags":["companion","robot","children","minor","autism","shutdown","grief","embodied","moxie","attachment","us"]}]}