{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-07T02:01:11.847Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"tennessee","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":9,"coverage":{"cases":9,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":3,"lawsuits":3,"regulatory":0,"minors":3,"coreRelations":5,"contextualRelations":2,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":2,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":2},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-us-hospital-chain-data-scientist-alleges-firing-after-reporting-unauditable-ai-staffing-tool","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'This is a retaliatory discharge action brought by Russell against HCA under the Tennessee'; 'Case 3:26-cv-00983 Document 1 Filed 07/15/26'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Angelique Russell filed a retaliatory-discharge complaint against HCA Healthcare in the Middle District of Tennessee on 15 July 2026 under the Tennessee Public Protection Act.","causal_attribution":"Established by the filed complaint."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Russell determined that Timpani, an AI system whose daily census predictions help set nurse'; 'a rolling basis, leaving HCA permanently unable to reproduce or audit the staffing decisions'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'She accused HCA of routinely deleting data the tool uses to create schedules, which prevented auditing how well it worked'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that Timpani, an AI system whose daily census predictions help set nurse staffing, overwrote the data behind its predictions so that HCA could not reproduce or audit the staffing decisions it drove.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff's allegation; WIRED relays the same complaint."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On March 5, 2026, weeks after Russell first raised Timpani'; 'HCA placed Russell on a Performance Improvement Plan'; 'On April 3, 2026, days after Russell escalated her concerns to HCA'; 'HCA terminated her employment.'; 'The performance deficiencies cited in the PIP were pretextual.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'sued the company for allegedly firing her in retaliation for raising concerns about Timpani'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that HCA placed Russell on a performance improvement plan on 5 March 2026, weeks after she first raised the defects, and terminated her on 3 April 2026, days after she escalated her concerns to its Director of Responsible AI and compliance department, and that the stated performance reasons were pretextual.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff's allegation of retaliation; untested."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'HCA has yet to formally respond in court, and Russell declined to comment.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"WIRED reported that HCA had yet to respond formally in court and that Russell declined to comment.","causal_attribution":"Status as reported by WIRED on 2 October 2026."}],"effects":[{"label":"a data science manager says she was put on a performance plan and fired after reporting that an AI staffing tool could not be audited","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.110375/gov.uscourts.tnmd.110375.1.0.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in full in English on 2026-10-13 (RECAP PDF, HTTP 200, converted with pdftotext); no translation. The complaint establishes that the allegations were made, not that they are true.","independence_group":"russell-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.wired.com/story/ai-making-mess-of-nurses-schedules-they-say-its-a-safety-issue/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in full in English on 2026-10-13 (HTTP 200); WIRED summarises the complaint and adds that HCA had not responded and Russell declined comment, so it is grouped with the complaint.","independence_group":"russell-complaint"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["HCA's response to the allegations and its stated reasons for the termination.","Whether the Timpani defects alleged in the complaint have been confirmed or corrected."],"geography":{"basis":"The complaint states that Russell performed her work for HCA remotely from Minnesota and that HCA has its principal place of business in Nashville, Tennessee; the suit was filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The event country rests on where the work was performed and the employer is based, both in the United States.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a consequential-response case: a former HCA data science manager alleges in a federal complaint that she was fired after reporting that HCA's Timpani AI staffing system could not be audited. The allegations are attributed to the complaint and have not been tested; the plaintiff is named because she brought the suit publicly.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-13"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The harm alleged is HCA's response to an employee's objection to its AI system: the complaint says Russell reported that Timpani, an AI system whose census predictions help set nurse staffing, could not be audited or reproduced, escalated this to HCA's Director of Responsible AI and compliance department, and was placed on a performance plan and fired. No AI output about Russell is alleged, so no relation describing an AI system's action toward her is established (unknown; consequential response). The connection to AI rests on the complaint's allegations.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Lawsuit says HCA fired a data science manager after she reported that its Timpani AI nurse-staffing tool could not be audited","summary":"Angelique Russell, a former manager of data science at HCA Healthcare, sued the hospital chain in federal court in Tennessee on 15 July 2026 for retaliatory discharge. Her complaint alleges that she found that Timpani, an AI system whose daily census predictions help set nurse staffing, overwrote the data behind its predictions so that its staffing decisions could not be audited or reproduced; that HCA placed her on a performance improvement plan weeks after she raised this; and that HCA fired her on 3 April 2026, days after she escalated her concerns to its Director of Responsible AI and its compliance department. She says the performance reasons were pretextual. These are allegations; HCA had not formally responded in court when WIRED reported on the suit on 2 October 2026.","incidentDate":"2026-04-03","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-15","aiSystem":"Timpani, which the complaint describes as an AI-enabled staffing and census forecasting system developed by HCA whose daily census predictions help set nurse staffing levels","aiProduct":"Timpani","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm","financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to her complaint, Russell was placed on a performance improvement plan and then fired after reporting that HCA's Timpani AI staffing system could not be audited; she seeks lost pay and damages. HCA had not formally responded in court when WIRED reported the suit.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the plaintiff who alleges she was fired. Nurses and patients affected by staffing are not counted in this record.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.110375/gov.uscourts.tnmd.110375.1.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Complaint, Russell v. HCA Healthcare, Inc., M.D. Tenn. No. 3:26-cv-00983, filed 15 July 2026 (ECF 1)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-13T03:27:47.102175+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-13T03:27:47.102175+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["workplace-ai","retaliation","whistleblower","hospital","staffing","lawsuit"]},{"id":"2026-nashville-teacher-fired-after-students-report-ai-videos-of-them-without-consent","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was terminated from his position as a tenured teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools, a July 7 letter to him revealed'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Metro Nashville Public Schools terminated a tenured high school teacher, according to a 7 July 2026 letter described by NewsChannel 5.","causal_attribution":"The station's report of the district letter."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'fired after students reported him taking pictures of them and making AI videos of them without their consent'; 'making AI videos of male students doing things like a \"gay or zesty dance\" or a \"feminine dance\"'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Students reported that the teacher made AI videos of them without their consent, including videos of male students doing a 'gay or zesty dance' or a 'feminine dance'.","causal_attribution":"Student reports as described in the district letter, relayed by the station."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'that all came to the attention of the school during the spring 2026 semester'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The student reports, which also concerned inappropriate comments, photographs on his personal phone and after-hours texts, came to the school's attention during the spring 2026 semester.","causal_attribution":"The district letter as described by the station."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'to police and the Department of Children's Services'; 'there are currently DCS investigations into'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The principal reported the teacher to police and the Department of Children's Services, and DCS investigations into his conduct were under way.","causal_attribution":"The district letter as described by the station."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'will have the opportunity to appeal through the established termination hearing process'; 'MNPS provides guidance to staff regarding the appropriate use of artificial intelligence, including expectations for student photos and graphics'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A district spokesperson said the teacher can appeal through the termination hearing process and that the district gives staff guidance on appropriate AI use, including expectations for student photos.","causal_attribution":"The district spokesperson's statement to the station."}],"effects":[{"label":"students depicted in AI videos made without their consent (student reports)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/davidson-county/nashville-high-school-teacher-fired-after-making-ai-videos-of-students","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English: the article text in full, including its JSON-LD article body. The district's termination letter that the station describes was not inspected.","independence_group":"wtvf-newschannel5"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and how the videos were made from the students' images.","How many students were depicted and whether the videos were shared beyond the teacher.","The teacher's account and the outcome of any appeal, of the principal's report to police and of the DCS investigations."],"geography":{"basis":"The school is in Metro Nashville Public Schools, Tennessee, and the report is datelined Nashville.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete school case in which students reported that a teacher made AI videos depicting them without consent, recorded in a district termination letter described by a local television station. The teacher and the students are not named in this record.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-12"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The district's termination letter, as reported by NewsChannel 5, describes students reporting that the teacher made AI videos of male students doing a 'gay or zesty dance' or a 'feminine dance' without their consent. The AI tool generated videos depicting the students, and the students' reports of that depiction were among the grounds for his dismissal. The tool is not identified and the videos were not inspected. The report does not say how the students, the school or the district established that the videos were made with AI.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Nashville school district fired a teacher after students reported he made AI videos of them without consent, a district termination letter says","summary":"NewsChannel 5 (WTVF) reported on 29 July 2026 that Metro Nashville Public Schools fired a tenured high school teacher after students reported him taking pictures of them and making AI videos of them without their consent. According to the station, a 7 July termination letter from the superintendent describes student reports, all brought to the school's attention during the spring 2026 semester, that included AI videos of male students doing a 'gay or zesty dance' or a 'feminine dance', as well as inappropriate comments, photographs taken on his personal phone and texts asking students where they were after school hours. The letter says the principal reported him to police and to the Department of Children's Services, which is investigating. The teacher can appeal through the district's termination hearing process. The report does not say which AI tool was used, how many students were depicted or how the videos were shared.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-29","aiSystem":"An unidentified AI tool that the teacher used to make videos of students, as described in the district's termination letter reported by NewsChannel 5","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Students reported that a teacher made AI videos of male students doing a 'gay or zesty dance' or a 'feminine dance' without their consent; the district fired him on several grounds including these reports (NewsChannel 5, describing the district's termination letter).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The report refers to 'male students' depicted in AI videos without giving a number; the plural is not an explicit lower bound, so no count is recorded.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/davidson-county/nashville-high-school-teacher-fired-after-making-ai-videos-of-students","primarySourceLabel":"NewsChannel 5 Nashville (WTVF), 29 July 2026: \"Nashville high school teacher fired after making AI videos of students\"","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-12T03:32:50.572772+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-12T03:32:50.572772+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["school","teacher-dismissal","ai-video","non-consensual-depiction","tennessee"]},{"id":"2025-morristown-tennessee-flock-alpr-stolen-alert-vanity-plate-grandparents-handcuffed-gunpoint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'both police officers had guns drawn on me as I was doing that,'; 'To be treated that way at gunpoint, handcuffed, humiliated,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Officers handcuffed them both, while'; 'After the couple was handcuffed, it was discovered that the vehicle identification number on the Expedition'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Morristown police stopped the couple, held them at gunpoint and handcuffed them both, while their 3-year-old granddaughter remained in the car.","causal_attribution":"The couple's account to WATE; police records reviewed by Business Insider record the handcuffing and the high-risk stop, and the department told WATE that high-risk protocol is common in felony investigations."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The officers received a Flock alert that the plate was stolen.'; 'It had already been recovered, but it was never removed from the system.'; 'their license plate number was recorded as a zero, not the letter O.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'In Claiborne County, a Ford F-150 was reported stolen.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Officers received a Flock alert that the plate was stolen; the Flock summary recorded the couple's plate with a zero instead of the letter O, matching a stolen pickup that had already been recovered but was never removed from the system.","causal_attribution":"Business Insider from police records; WATE confirms the stolen pickup but does not mention Flock."},{"id":"c3","status":"disputed","evidence":[{"locator":"'However, using either character, the license plate shows as a stolen vehicle in the crime information database.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'officers used information from the National Crime Information Center (a state database, not the license plate reader database) as our protocol requires'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The police department says the officer ran the tag as displayed, with an O, and that with either character the plate shows as stolen in the crime information database; the chief says officers relied on the National Crime Information Center as protocol requires.","causal_attribution":"Police account; it disputes that the license-plate reader determined the stop, against Business Insider's account of the Flock alert."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I really thought if I get shot today'; 'I had a laser beam on my chest at one point,'; 'so I was crying,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The grandfather said he thought he might be shot and felt humiliated; the grandmother said she had a laser sight on her chest at one point and was crying as she heard her granddaughter calling for her.","causal_attribution":"Their own account to WATE."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'She has regressed to sleeping with her parents'; 'didn’t want to get in my vehicle'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The grandmother told WATE that since the stop the granddaughter has regressed to sleeping with her parents, keeps repeating 'baby in the car', and did not want to get into her vehicle.","causal_attribution":"The grandmother's account to WATE."}],"effects":[{"label":"both grandparents held at gunpoint and handcuffed while their 3-year-old granddaughter stayed in the car","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"grandfather feared being shot and felt humiliated; grandmother says she was crying","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"},{"label":"3-year-old granddaughter left alone in the car; her grandmother says she has since regressed and is afraid to get into the vehicle","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/couple-handcuffed-in-morristown-due-to-license-plate-mix-up/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-04 from the Internet Archive 2026 capture (WATE, June 2025; Google News dates it 11 June 2025); the live site returned HTTP 403. Interview with the couple and a police department statement; does not mention Flock.","independence_group":"wate-morristown-interview"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.businessinsider.com/flock-safety-alpr-cameras-misreads-2026-3","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-04 (Business Insider, 9 March 2026); full text present in the served page. Draws on police records including the Flock investigative summary, an interview and the police chief.","independence_group":"business-insider-records-review"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["The exact date of the stop; WATE says a Monday morning and Business Insider says June 2025.","Whether the Flock camera misread the letter O as a zero or matched a hotlist entry under a normalized character; Business Insider reports only that the summary recorded a zero.","Whether any complaint or claim was filed."],"geography":{"basis":"The stop was made by Morristown, Tennessee, police (WATE; Business Insider); the couple are described as earlier stopped in Bean Station and visited at home by officers, both in East Tennessee. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional-use case: WATE reports the couple's account of being held at gunpoint and handcuffed with their granddaughter in the car, and Business Insider reports from police records that a Flock alert flagged the plate and recorded it with a zero. The police say the stop rested on the crime information database; that dispute is recorded. None of the family is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Business Insider, citing police records, reports that officers received a Flock alert that the plate was stolen and that the Flock summary recorded the plate with a zero; the deputy chief's earlier email warned that Flock misreads plates. The police department says the officer confirmed the hit in the crime information database, where the plate shows as stolen with either character, and the chief says officers relied on that database. The stale stolen-vehicle record and the armed stop were human and institutional decisions; how far the reader's alert determined the stop is disputed.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Morristown, Tennessee: police held a grandmother and grandfather at gunpoint and handcuffed them in June 2025, with their 3-year-old granddaughter left in the car, after a Flock alert flagged the grandmother's vanity plate, which matched a recovered stolen pickup's plate spelled with a zero; police say the stop rested on the crime database","summary":"In June 2025 Morristown, Tennessee, police stopped a couple driving their 3-year-old granddaughter to a doctor's appointment, held them at gunpoint and handcuffed them both. The grandmother's personalized plate spelled a nickname with the letter O; a Ford F-150 reported stolen in Claiborne County carried the same word spelled with a zero. Business Insider reported in March 2026 that officers received a Flock alert that the plate was stolen, that the Flock investigative summary recorded the couple's plate with a zero, and that the stolen pickup had already been recovered but was never removed from the system. The police department told WATE that the officer ran the tag as displayed, with an O, and that with either character it showed as stolen in the crime information database; the police chief told Business Insider that officers relied on the National Crime Information Center as protocol requires. The grandfather told WATE that he thought he might be shot and felt humiliated, and the grandmother said she was crying as she heard her granddaughter calling for her.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-06-11","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader camera system whose alert flagged the couple's plate as stolen and whose investigative summary recorded the plate with a zero for the letter O (Business Insider, citing police records)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["loss_of_liberty","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Both grandparents were held at gunpoint and handcuffed while their 3-year-old granddaughter stayed in the car; the grandfather said he feared being shot and felt humiliated, and the grandmother said she was crying (WATE; Business Insider). The grandmother says the granddaughter has since regressed to sleeping with her parents and did not want to get into her vehicle (WATE). Police dispute that the license-plate reader determined the stop.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Three people: the grandparents, both held at gunpoint and handcuffed (WATE; Business Insider), and their 3-year-old granddaughter, left terrified and alone in the car (Business Insider), who the grandmother says has since regressed to sleeping with her parents and did not want to get into her vehicle (WATE). Exact 3.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/couple-handcuffed-in-morristown-due-to-license-plate-mix-up/","primarySourceLabel":"WATE 6 On Your Side, June 2025: Couple handcuffed in Morristown due to license plate mix-up","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:32:02.866389+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:32:02.866389+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","vanity-plate","stale-hotlist","wrongful-stop","gunpoint","tennessee","morristown","justice","made-claim-about"]},{"id":"2026-tennessee-landlord-ai-generated-intruder-photo-prank-roofers-questioned-tenants-warned-first-person","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I had a company on the property doing roof work and I received texts from my tenant that his girlfriend was at the house alone'; 'one of the workers had just entered the house shirtless and was sitting on the bed taking his shoes off while she was in the bed'; 'He texted photos the girlfriend was sending him'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The landlord says a tenant texted, while a roofing company was working on the property, that the tenant's girlfriend was alone in the house and that one of the workers had entered shirtless and was sitting on the bed while she was in it, and forwarded photos the girlfriend had sent.","causal_attribution":"Landlord's account of the tenant's texts."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I called the roofers, shared the photo, concluded it wasn’t one of them, warned other tenants there may be someone trespassing on the property and to make sure the doors are locked, got my partner to start driving over to the house'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The landlord says they called the roofers, shared the photo, concluded it was not one of them, warned other tenants that someone might be trespassing and to lock their doors, and had their partner start driving to the house.","causal_attribution":"Landlord's own account of their response."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'it was actually a viral tiktok prank and an AI photo'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The landlord says the tenant then texted that it was a viral TikTok prank and an AI photo.","causal_attribution":"The AI origin of the photo is the tenant's statement relayed by the landlord; the tool is not named and the image was not published."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Thank goodness no one was hurt or actually in any danger but man, did that cause a stir and stress out everyone involved.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The landlord says no one was hurt or in any danger but that the episode caused a stir and stressed everyone involved.","causal_attribution":"Landlord's own statement of the effect."}],"effects":[{"label":"false report of an intruder, built on an AI photo, led a landlord to question a roofing crew, warn other tenants and send a partner to the house (landlord's account)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"stress for the people involved (landlord's account)","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/Landlord/comments/1wu4veh/landlord_ustn_tenants_and_aiviral_pranks/","kind":"forum_post","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-01: full self-text and the thread's 14 comments retrieved through the arctic_shift archive API by post ID. The poster handle is not recorded.","independence_group":"reddit-tn-landlord-poster"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","relationships"],"unknowns":["When the episode happened (the post says 'recently').","Which AI tool made the image and whether it was built from a photo of the house or of a real person.","Whether the tenant knew of the prank in advance, as one commenter suggested; the landlord describes the tenant as having fallen for it.","Whether the police were contacted or any lease action followed."],"geography":{"basis":"The poster's self-applied title tag '[landlord - US-TN]' identifies them as a landlord in Tennessee, United States; the tag is not otherwise verified. The post says the landlord's partner could drive to the house faster than the landlord, which places the house within driving distance of the landlord, so the event and the landlord are recorded in the US. The tenant's and the girlfriend's countries are not stated separately.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter's public-forum rule as a concrete first-person account of an AI-made image used in a prank that produced a false intruder alarm and a response by the landlord, described with attribution and without corroboration. No handle, address or names are recorded.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The landlord relays the tenant's statement that the photo was 'an AI photo' made for a viral TikTok prank; the tool is not named and the image was not published. The image showed a supposed worker inside the house; whether it depicted any real person, including the tenant's girlfriend or a roofer, is not stated, so the person relation is recorded as unknown.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"First-person forum account: a landlord in Tennessee says a tenant texted that a roofing worker had entered the rented house while the tenant's girlfriend was there alone and forwarded photos the girlfriend sent; the landlord called the roofers and shared the photo, warned other tenants of a possible trespasser and had a partner start driving to the house before the tenant said it was a viral TikTok prank using an AI photo","summary":"In a public post to r/Landlord on 30 September 2026, tagged US-TN, a landlord writes that a tenant 'recently' texted while a roofing company was working on the property. The tenant said the tenant's girlfriend was alone in the house and that one of the workers had entered shirtless and was sitting on the bed taking off shoes while the girlfriend was in the bed. The tenant forwarded photos the girlfriend had sent. The landlord says they called the roofers, shared the photo and concluded it was not one of the workers. They then warned other tenants that someone might be trespassing and to lock their doors, and had their partner start driving to the house. The tenant then texted that it was 'a viral tiktok prank and an AI photo'. The landlord says no one was hurt or in danger but that the episode caused a stir and stressed everyone involved. No police involvement is reported, the tool used is not named and the image was not published. The account is uncorroborated.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-30","aiSystem":"An unidentified AI image tool that, according to the tenant as relayed by the landlord, was used to make a photo of a fake intruder inside the rented house as part of a viral TikTok prank","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A landlord reports that an AI-made photo of a supposed intruder, sent as a prank by a tenant's girlfriend, led the landlord to question a roofing crew, warn other tenants of a possible trespasser and send a partner to the property, and says the episode stressed everyone involved (first-person account, uncorroborated).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Counted: the landlord and the tenant who believed the photos, both among the 'everyone involved' the landlord says were stressed. The landlord's partner, the roofing crew and the other tenants who were warned are not counted because no effect on them is stated individually. Neither counted person made the image.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.reddit.com/r/Landlord/comments/1wu4veh/landlord_ustn_tenants_and_aiviral_pranks/","primarySourceLabel":"r/Landlord, 30 September 2026: \"[landlord - US-TN] Tenants and AI/viral pranks\"","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-01T03:11:53.844527+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T03:11:53.844527+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["first-person","reddit","ai-generated-image","prank","false-alarm","tiktok","housing","landlord"]},{"id":"2026-portland-tennessee-ai-child-faces-sexual-images-traded-canada-30-year-sentence","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'placed the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and people engaged in sexual acts.'; 'Investigators said he then exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'had been placing the faces of children on nude individuals, as well as individuals who were engaging in sexual acts.'; 'would exchange the content with someone in Canada in exchange for real child sexual abuse material.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the district attorney's office, he used AI to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, and exchanged the AI-generated material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account via one release; the source images, the children and the AI tool are not described."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Canadian authorities alerted U.S. law enforcement after arresting the person who'; 'charged with tampering with evidence after investigators alleged he deleted some material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested in November 2025 after a joint investigation by Portland Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Canadian authorities alerted US law enforcement after arresting the person he was communicating with; a joint investigation led to his arrest in November 2025, and he was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Judge Dee David Gay imposed the 30-year sentence, which the district attorney’s office said must be served without probation, parole or early release under Tennessee law.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'On Thursday, Sept. 24, a judge sentenced'; 'to serve 30 years in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'A Sumner County judge imposed the 30-year sentence Thursday.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A Sumner County Criminal Court judge sentenced him to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release.","causal_attribution":"DA release as relayed; WSMV gives the day as Friday, WKRN and WZTV as Thursday 24 September. The court record was not inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded for real child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WSMV, 25 September 2026). Relays the DA's release. WVLT carries the same Gray text.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/portland-man-sentenced-using-ai-162610165.html","kind":"local_tv_news_syndicated_copy","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: Yahoo's syndicated copy of WKRN's report (25 September 2026); wkrn.com returned 403 to this host. Quotes the DA's release.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-sumner-county-man-gets-30-years-for-trading-ai-generated-child-abuse-images-with-canadian-man","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: WZTV (FOX 17) report of 25 September 2026 as carried by sister station WTVC.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://fox17.com/news/local/after-30-year-sentence-in-tn-ai-child-abuse-case-former-fbi-agent-warns-more-are-coming","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (WZTV/FOX 17, 26 September 2026). Case facts from the DA; adds a former FBI agent's general comments, not used as case evidence.","independence_group":"sumner-county-da-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["justice","privacy"],"unknowns":["Which offences he was convicted of, and whether by plea or at trial.","Which AI tool was used, where the children's images came from, and whether any depicted child has been identified or notified.","How many children's faces were used.","When the images were made and traded (the arrest was in November 2025).","The exact sentencing date (24 or 25 September 2026)."],"geography":{"basis":"He lived in Portland, Sumner County, Tennessee, where officers searched his home, and was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court. The other party was a Canadian resident arrested by Canadian authorities; where the exchanges took place beyond that is not stated. The children's countries are not reported.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a depiction case: prosecutors say AI was used to place the faces of children onto sexual images and videos that were traded internationally, and a court imposed a 30-year sentence. One DA release chain; all claims reported. The children are unidentified and uncounted, and the defendant is not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The district attorney's release says he used artificial intelligence to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos (via WSMV, WKRN, WZTV). The tool, the source images and the identity of the children are not reported. The depicted_or_impersonated relation rests on the prosecutors' description of the faces of children being placed onto the images and videos.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Portland, Tennessee: a man who prosecutors say used AI to put children's faces onto sexual images and videos and traded them with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 30 years in Sumner County in September 2026","summary":"The Sumner County (18th Judicial District) District Attorney's Office said a 30-year-old Portland, Tennessee man was sentenced in Sumner County Criminal Court in September 2026 to 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, to be served without probation, parole or early release. According to the prosecutors, he used artificial intelligence to place the faces of children onto images and videos of nude people and of people engaged in sexual acts, then exchanged the material with a Canadian resident for real child sexual abuse material. Canadian authorities found messages and material connected to him after arresting the person he was communicating with and alerted US law enforcement; a joint investigation by Portland police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the TBI led to his arrest in November 2025. He was also charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he deleted material before officers entered his home to execute a search warrant. The children whose faces were used are not identified, their number is not reported, and the reports do not say which AI tool was used or which offences he was convicted of.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI tool or tools that prosecutors say he used to place children's faces onto sexual images and videos; the tool is not identified in any inspected report","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say children's faces were placed onto AI-made sexual images and videos that were traded internationally in exchange for real child sexual abuse material (Sumner County DA release via WSMV, WKRN and WZTV). The children are not identified.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The prosecutors refer to 'children' whose faces were used but give no number, and none is identified; children depicted in the real material he received are not counted because that material is not AI-made and is not described. Unquantified, with zero placeholders.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/25/middle-tennessee-man-sentenced-30-years-using-ai-create-trade-child-pornography/","primarySourceLabel":"WSMV, 25 September 2026: Middle Tennessee man sentenced to 30 years for using AI to create, trade child pornography","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:23.326395+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:49.53008+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-csam","deepfake","child-sexual-abuse-material","sentencing","tennessee","sumner-county","canada","others-use","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-cookeville-tennessee-high-school-ai-deepfake-images-two-juveniles-charged","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'learned about possible sharing of sexually explicit images at the school.'; 'Investigators say two teenagers got photos from the internet and used an AI program to turn them into sexual images, then shared those pictures with others.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of the incident on August 31.'; 'Detectives discovered that the juveniles used an artificial intelligence program to create sexually explicit images using photos found online, then distributed the images. Authorities also said explicit images already stored on one juvenile’s phone were shared.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'the male teen students used an artificial intelligence program to create deepfake images -- in some cases using photos of fellow female students -- placing their faces on sexually explicit images ... and then posting them on social media.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"On 31 August 2026 the Putnam County Sheriff's Office was notified of possible sharing of sexually explicit images at Cookeville High School; investigators found that two teenage students had used an artificial-intelligence program to turn photographs obtained online, in some cases photographs of fellow female students, into sexually explicit images and had shared or posted them, and that explicit images already stored on one phone were also shared.","causal_attribution":"The sheriff's office is the origin of this account in every report, including NewsChannel 5's interview with the sheriff; it is not independently established."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Deputies took both teenagers to the Putnam County Juvenile Detention Center.'; 'One is charged with one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, while the other faces two counts of each charge.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The second juvenile was charged with two counts each of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He says the suspects will be prosecuted in juvenile court and hopes a lesson is learned.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Both juveniles were taken to the Putnam County Juvenile Detention Center; one was charged with one count each of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, the other with two counts of each; the district attorney said they will be prosecuted in juvenile court.","causal_attribution":"Charges per the sheriff's office; prosecution venue per the district attorney's interview."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A mother of one of the girls says she and her daughter closely monitor their social media content. It's frustrating that this happened ... and was very hard on her daughter.'; 'She didn't make any naked photos and it still happens ... with AI, we can't do anything. She wouldn't talk to me or anybody ... locked herself in her room. She wouldn't even talk to her friends.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The mother of one of the depicted girls told NewsChannel 5 that the episode was very hard on her daughter, who had made no naked photographs herself, locked herself in her room and would not talk to her, to anybody or to her friends.","causal_attribution":"The mother's account to one station; the daughter is not identified."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'students caught making, sharing, or keeping digitally altered images designed to embarrass or harm someone else will face the strongest penalties allowed'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'students involved in creating, possessing or distributing altered visual media intended to embarrass, harass, humiliate or harm others will face discipline to the fullest extent allowed by policy.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Putnam County School System said students who create, share or keep digitally altered images intended to embarrass, harass, humiliate or harm others will face the strongest penalties allowed by policy.","causal_attribution":"School system statement relayed with the sheriff's-office account."}],"effects":[{"label":"female students depicted in AI-made sexually explicit images that were shared and posted on social media","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a depicted girl shut herself in her room and stopped talking to family and friends, her mother says","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://fox17.com/news/local/cookeville-high-teens-accused-of-using-ai-for-explicit-images","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (WZTV/FOX17 Nashville, 1 September 2026). Relays the Putnam County Sheriff's Office account and the school system's statement.","independence_group":"pcso-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.wsmv.com/2026/09/02/high-school-students-accused-distributing-ai-generated-explicit-images-middle-tn-sheriffs-office-says/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (WSMV Nashville, 2 September 2026). Same sheriff's-office account; grouped with s1.","independence_group":"pcso-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://3bmedianews.com/two-cookeville-high-school-juveniles-arrested-for-distributing-ai-generated-explicit-images/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (3B Media News, Upper Cumberland, 2 September 2026). Same sheriff's-office account; grouped with s1.","independence_group":"pcso-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/putnam-county/two-teens-arrested-after-ai-generated-explicit-deepfakes-shared-at-tenn-high-school","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-09-22 (NewsChannel 5 / WTVF Nashville, published 21 September 2026 16:40 CDT; JSON-LD articleBody also retained). Own reporting: interviews with Sheriff Eddie Farris, District Attorney Bryant Dunaway and the mother of one depicted girl.","independence_group":"wtvf"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/cookeville-school-ai-images-arrests/","kind":"news_report","access":"unavailable","language":null,"translation_note":"WKRN (2 September 2026) answered HTTP 403 live, via the Internet Archive capture of 3 September 2026 and via r.jina.ai on 2026-09-22; headline only. Not relied on.","independence_group":"wkrn"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","justice","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The AI program used and how the images were made.","How many students were depicted; the sheriff says photographs of fellow female students were used in some cases.","When the images were created and posted (the sheriff's office was notified on 31 August 2026; the sheriff spoke of 'last month' on 21 September).","The outcome of the juvenile-court proceedings.","Whether the depicted students received support from the school."],"geography":{"basis":"Cookeville High School, Putnam County, Tennessee (sheriff's office via WZTV, WSMV, 3B Media News; NewsChannel 5). The district attorney says the case will be prosecuted in juvenile court; no court record or hearing was reported, so no court country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an image-based abuse case affecting minors, documented by the sheriff's-office account through three outlets and by a station's own interviews with the sheriff, the district attorney and a parent. Not a death case. The juveniles and the depicted students are unnamed; officials are named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Putnam County Sheriff's Office says the two students used an artificial-intelligence program to turn photographs obtained online into sexually explicit images; Sheriff Farris told NewsChannel 5 the program was used to create deepfake images placing female students' faces on sexually explicit images. No tool is named and no forensic report is public. The AI artifacts depicted the girls; no AI system interacted with them.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Cookeville, Tennessee: two high-school students were charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after the sheriff's office said they used an AI program to turn photographs, including those of female classmates, into sexually explicit images and posted them; the mother of one depicted girl says her daughter shut herself in her room and stopped talking to friends","summary":"On 31 August 2026 the Putnam County Sheriff's Office was told of possible sharing of sexually explicit images at Cookeville High School. Detectives found that two male teenage students had used an artificial-intelligence program to turn photographs obtained online, in some cases photographs of fellow female students, into sexually explicit images, and had shared them; explicit images already stored on one phone were also shared. Both juveniles were taken to the Putnam County Juvenile Detention Center. One was charged with one count each of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, the other with two counts of each. The district attorney told NewsChannel 5 on 21 September that the two would be prosecuted in juvenile court. The mother of one of the depicted girls told the station the episode was very hard on her daughter, who had made no naked photographs herself, locked herself in her room and would not talk to her, to anybody or to her friends. The sheriff's-office account and the school system's statement were carried by WZTV, WSMV and 3B Media News on 1-2 September; NewsChannel 5 added its own interviews with the sheriff, the district attorney and the mother on 21 September. The tool is not named. The juveniles are not named in any report.","incidentDate":"2026-08-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-01","aiSystem":"AI image-generation or editing program, not named in any report","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","social_isolation"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Female students were depicted in AI-made sexually explicit images that were shared and posted on social media; the mother of one girl reports that her daughter withdrew, shut herself in her room and stopped talking to family and friends. The images and their sharing are attributed by the sheriff's office to two students who have been charged; the girl's distress is her mother's account.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"One depicted girl is counted from her mother's account to NewsChannel 5; the sheriff says photographs of fellow female students were used 'in some cases' and NewsChannel 5 refers to 'the victims' and 'one of the girls' in the plural, but no number is reported. Partial: 1 counted plus an unquantified number of other depicted students. The two charged juveniles are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.newschannel5.com/news/state/tennessee/putnam-county/two-teens-arrested-after-ai-generated-explicit-deepfakes-shared-at-tenn-high-school","primarySourceLabel":"NewsChannel 5 (WTVF), 21 September 2026: Two teens arrested after AI-generated explicit deepfakes shared at Tenn. high school","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-22T03:45:51.212898+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:33.644364+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ai-generated-imagery","ncii","minor","school","tennessee","cookeville","juvenile-court","depicted"]},{"id":"2025-lipps-facial-recognition-wrongful-jailing","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"Surveillance 'showed woman using a fake US army military ID to withdraw tens of thousands'; the 8-count charge list.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Zibolski 'acknowledged that investigators made incorrect assumptions based on the West Fargo Police Department's Clearview AI facial recognition technology'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"Warrant signed 2025-07-01 with nationwide extradition; the chief: the case 'was not solely based on just that one piece'; 'an AI function through the North Dakota State Intelligence Center'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The case began with bank-fraud surveillance of a woman using a fake U.S. Army military ID to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars; an AI facial-recognition identification tied Lipps to that surveillance — recorded by Snopes as the West Fargo Police Department's Clearview AI technology, and by Fargo's chief as 'an AI function through the North Dakota State Intelligence Center... not anything that we own'; a nationwide-extradition warrant was signed on 1 July 2025.","causal_attribution":"The vendor attribution differs between the chains (Clearview per Snopes' reading of the WFPD investigation; the state intelligence center's function per the chief) and is recorded with the discrepancy."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'US marshals arrested Lipps at her Tennessee home while she was babysitting four children... taken away at gunpoint'; 'nearly four months without bail'; bank records 'more than 1,200 miles away in Tennessee'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"PD timeline: TN waiver 10-20; booked Cass Co. 10-30; bank records presented 12-12; dismissal agreed 12-23; released 12-24.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Dismissal 'without prejudice... Angela remains a person they are investigating'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"U.S. Marshals arrested her at gunpoint at her Tennessee home on 14 July 2025 while she babysat four children; she fought extradition for about three months in a Tennessee jail, was booked into Cass County on 30 October, and was released on 24 December after her bank records showed her more than 1,200 miles away in Tennessee; charges were dismissed without prejudice.","causal_attribution":"The custody timeline is consistent across the Guardian, KVLY's police timeline and Snopes; the dismissal's without-prejudice character comes from KVLY's attorney piece."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"KVLY-obtained email 'showed six Fargo detectives were notified of Lipps' arrest in July — nearly five months before Fargo Police say they knew she was in custody'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"An email obtained by KVLY shows six Fargo detectives were notified of her arrest in July 2025 — nearly five months before the department says it learned she was in custody (5 December).","causal_attribution":"KVLY's own document reporting; the department's stated knowledge date comes from its police timeline."},{"id":"c4","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"The 'incorrect assumptions' concession (Snopes' reading of the 24 March presser).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"The chief's 'not solely based on just that one piece' and the state-center tool description.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Stefonowicz's April statement on an apology.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski acknowledged 'incorrect assumptions' linked to the AI identification while insisting the case 'was not solely based on just that one piece'; incoming Chief Stefonowicz said in April that if Ms. Lipps deserves an apology, 'I will absolutely be the first person to reach out'.","causal_attribution":"The concession's exact wording beyond Snopes' paraphrase is unverified; both chiefs' positions are recorded as stated."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'lost her home, her car and her dog.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Rice: 'pursuing potential civil rights claims, though no lawsuit has been filed'.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"She lost her home, her car and her dog; her attorney Eric Rice said he was pursuing potential civil-rights claims, with no lawsuit filed as of 31 March 2026.","causal_attribution":"The losses are from the Guardian's account of her situation; the claim status is the attorney's statement as of 31 March 2026."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Angela Lipps, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in North Dakota against the City of Fargo and Fargo Police Department Detective Lucas Heck'; 'The complaint says Heck failed to disclose that the facial recognition result was actually based on a photo from the suspect's fake ID, not the surveillance footage'; 'The lawsuit brings five claims... Lipps is seeking $10 million in damages'; 'These are allegations contained in a civil complaint. No response has been filed as of this writing.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"On 15 September 2026 Lipps filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit in the District of North Dakota against the City of Fargo and Detective Lucas Heck seeking $10 million, alleging that he relied on a flawed facial-recognition match based on the suspect's fake-ID photo, ignored exculpatory evidence and failed to disclose that such results are only investigative leads; the suit brings five claims and says the department had no facial-recognition policy or training at the time.","causal_attribution":"The filing and its contents are reported by the same station chain (KVLY) that broke the case; the complaint itself was not inspected, so the claim is recorded as reported rather than documented. The InForum report of the same filing answered HTTP 403."}],"effects":[{"label":"five months wrongfully jailed on an AI facial-recognition identification, with lasting losses","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/12/tennessee-grandmother-ai-fraud","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (12 Mar 2026, Marina Dunbar).","independence_group":"guardian"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.valleynewslive.com/2026/03/17/chief-zibolski-ai-was-lead-not-only-evidence-wrongful-jail-allegation/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (17 Mar 2026, Alix Larsen).","independence_group":"kvly"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.valleynewslive.com/2026/04/01/attorney-discusses-potential-lawsuit-after-tennessee-grandmother-jailed-by-facial-recognition-error/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (31 Mar 2026, Ethan Kramer).","independence_group":"kvly"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ai-tennessee-woman-jail/","kind":"fact_check","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-15 (19 Jul 2026, updated 22 Jul; rating True). Aggregates the InForum/WDAY originals (blocked, 403); its Clearview attribution reflects that chain.","independence_group":"snopes"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.valleynewslive.com/2026/09/15/tennessee-woman-sues-fargo-ex-detective-over-wrongful-arrest-tied-facial-recognition-error/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-16 (datePublished 2026-09-15T17:39Z; Valley News Live, which first reported the case in March 2026).","independence_group":"kvly"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["The InForum original investigation (the first reporting chain) is blocked (403) and was not read; Snopes' and the Guardian's accounts of it are used instead.","The exact wording of the 'incorrect assumptions' concession beyond Snopes' paraphrase is unverified.","The vendor question — Clearview AI (per Snopes) versus the North Dakota State Intelligence Center's AI function (per the chief) — is unresolved.","The woman in the bank-fraud surveillance (the actual suspect) is not reported as identified; the dismissal without prejudice leaves the investigation open.","Her arrest's bail conditions and the custody conditions are not detailed in the inspected sources.","The federal complaint (filed 15 September 2026) was not inspected and its case number is not given in the inspected report; the InForum account of the filing was blocked (403)."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: arrest at her Tennessee home; jailing in Tennessee and Cass County, North Dakota; the underlying bank fraud in the Fargo/West Fargo area. Affected person: Lipps, Tennessee. Court: the Cass County charges (dismissed), North Dakota.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional automated-decision case (made_decision_about / made_claim_about): an AI facial-recognition identification set five months of wrongful custody in motion, documented by the Guardian, an independent local chain with its own document reporting (KVLY), and a fact-check carrying the blocked original chain. She is named in national coverage; the police chiefs' accounts are preserved as contrary context. Updated 16 September 2026 with the $10 million federal suit filed on 15 September, recorded from the Valley News Live report as a reported claim.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-16"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Snopes records the misidentification as based on the West Fargo PD's Clearview AI technology; Fargo's police chief separately describes 'an AI function through the North Dakota State Intelligence Center' and concedes 'incorrect assumptions' while insisting the case was not solely based on that one piece. The vendor attribution (Clearview vs the state center's function) is recorded with the discrepancy.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["made_decision_about","made_claim_about"]},"name":"Tennessee grandmother Angela Lipps jailed five months on an AI facial-recognition misidentification; charges dismissed after bank records placed her 1,200 miles away","summary":"On 14 July 2025, U.S. Marshals arrested Angela Lipps, a 50-year-old Tennessee grandmother, at gunpoint at her home while she was babysitting four children, on a nationwide-extradition North Dakota warrant: West Fargo police's AI facial-recognition technology had tied her to bank-fraud surveillance of a woman using a fake U.S. Army military ID to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars. She fought extradition for about three months in a Tennessee jail, was booked into Cass County, North Dakota on 30 October 2025 on four counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information and four counts of theft, and was released on 24 December after her bank records showed her more than 1,200 miles away in Tennessee; charges were dismissed without prejudice. Fargo's police chief acknowledged 'incorrect assumptions' linked to the AI identification; an email obtained by KVLY shows six Fargo detectives were notified of her arrest in July, nearly five months before the department says it knew she was in custody. She lost her home, her car and her dog; her attorneys are pursuing potential civil-rights claims, with no lawsuit filed as of 31 March 2026. On 15 September 2026 she filed a $10 million federal civil-rights suit in the District of North Dakota against the City of Fargo and the detective, alleging he relied on a flawed facial-recognition match and ignored exculpatory evidence.","incidentDate":"2025-07-14","incidentEndDate":"2025-12-24","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-03-12","aiSystem":"Clearview AI facial recognition (per Snopes' account of the West Fargo PD investigation); described by Fargo's chief as 'an AI function through the North Dakota State Intelligence Center'","aiProduct":"Clearview AI facial recognition (reported)","aiCompany":"Clearview AI (vendor per Snopes); North Dakota State Intelligence Center (per Fargo police chief)","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm","loss_of_autonomy","reputational_harm","property_loss","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Five months jailed on an AI-driven misidentification — arrested at gunpoint while babysitting, held states away from home — ending only when her bank records proved she was 1,200 miles away; she lost her home, car and dog, and the dismissal without prejudice leaves her 'a person they are investigating'.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One documented harmed person: Lipps, the misidentified defendant (three chains; her attorneys' account). The children she was babysitting are recorded in the narrative but not counted as harmed persons (no harm to them is reported).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/12/tennessee-grandmother-ai-fraud","primarySourceLabel":"The Guardian (12 Mar 2026, Marina Dunbar) — the arrest, the custody ordeal, the losses","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-15T10:28:13.154947+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:08.693119+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["civil-rights","clearview","facial-recognition","justice","lawsuit","made-claim-about","made-decision-about","north-dakota","tennessee","wrongful-arrest"]},{"id":"2026-darron-lee-chatgpt-ooltewah-killing","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"death","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Case chronology following the account of the February 4 messages.","relation":"supports","source_id":"report"}],"assertion":"NBC reports that the woman was found dead on 5 February 2026.","causal_attribution":"This source does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"interaction","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Quoted hearing evidence and subsequent description of the chatbot’s response.","relation":"supports","source_id":"report"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors presented alleged questions about an unresponsive partner and obtaining help without police involvement; the reported partial reply also advised medical care.","causal_attribution":"This source does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"outcome","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body describing the arraignment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"outcome"}],"assertion":"WTVC reports a July “no plea”, treated as not guilty, with proceedings continuing.","causal_attribution":"This records a procedural account, not a conviction or causal finding."}],"effects":[{"label":"NBC reports that the woman was found dead on 5 February 2026.","claim_id":"death","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"report","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","kind":"court_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Article body inspected; related-story cards excluded. Describes messages presented at the preliminary hearing and a partial chatbot response.","independence_group":"lee_prosecution"},{"id":"local","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/former-nfl-player-consulted-ai-chatbot-after-murdering-his-girlfriend","kind":"court_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full hearing-report body inspected. Claims derive from the prosecution’s evidence.","independence_group":"lee_prosecution"},{"id":"outcome","url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/former-nfl-player-pleads-not-guilty-in-ooltewah-murder-case-gabriella-perpetuo-arraignment-hamilton-county-criminal-court-first-degree-murder-indictment","kind":"court_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full article body inspected. Its body says no plea was entered, despite the URL saying not guilty.","independence_group":"lee_prosecution"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","health","justice"],"unknowns":["The complete conversation and authenticated forensic record were not inspected.","The timing of death relative to the exchanges is not established here.","A later case outcome was not established in this review.","Different outlets cover the same prosecution evidence."],"geography":{"basis":"NBC and WTVC place the death and court proceedings in Tennessee.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"The inspected evidence describes a concrete adverse event and case-specific chatbot interactions. Allegations, source dependence and limits on causal inference remain explicit.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The prosecution links alleged messages about the partner’s condition to the case. A reported partial response includes medical-care advice. The timing and causal effect of the exchange remain unresolved.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"NBC and WTVC place the death and court proceedings in Tennessee.","evidence":[{"kind":"source_body","locator":"NBC and WTVC place the death and court proceedings in Tennessee.","location":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"NBC and WTVC place the death and court proceedings in Tennessee.","location":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"NBC and WTVC place the death and court proceedings in Tennessee.","location":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","supports":["court_countries"],"countries":["US"]}],"court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"unresolved":[],"reviewed_on":"2026-10-05","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","notes":"English; no translation. Article body inspected; related-story cards excluded. Describes messages presented at the preliminary hearing and a partial chatbot response.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/former-nfl-player-consulted-ai-chatbot-after-murdering-his-girlfriend","notes":"English; no translation. Full hearing-report body inspected. Claims derive from the prosecution’s evidence.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://newschannel9.com/news/local/former-nfl-player-pleads-not-guilty-in-ooltewah-murder-case-gabriella-perpetuo-arraignment-hamilton-county-criminal-court-first-degree-murder-indictment","notes":"English; no translation. Full article body inspected. Its body says no plea was entered, despite the URL saying not guilty.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Prosecutors allege Darron Lee consulted ChatGPT while his partner was unresponsive","summary":"Tennessee prosecutors allege that former NFL player Darron Lee consulted ChatGPT about his partner’s condition on 4 February 2026, before she was found dead the following day. Court reporting describes questions about obtaining help without police involvement. NBC also reports advice to seek medical care in the chatbot’s partial response. WTVC says his July arraignment involved a “no plea”, treated as not guilty. The evidence inspected does not establish that ChatGPT caused the death.","incidentDate":"2026-02-04","incidentEndDate":"2026-02-05","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-03-09","aiSystem":"ChatGPT, as identified in the cited account","aiProduct":"ChatGPT (reported)","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["death","harm_to_others"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Tennessee prosecutors allege that former NFL player Darron Lee consulted ChatGPT about his partner’s condition on 4 February 2026, before she was found dead the following day. Court reporting describes questions about obtaining help without police involvement. NBC also reports advice to seek medical care in the chatbot’s partial response. WTVC says his July arraignment involved a “no plea”, treated as not guilty. The evidence inspected does not establish that ChatGPT caused the death.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"unclear","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Counts the deceased partner. The accused’s detention and charges are procedural facts, not an additional AI-related harm count.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nfl-linebacker-charged-killing-girlfriend-allegedly-asked-chatgpt-a-rcna262824","primarySourceLabel":"NBC News — 10 March 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-05T03:05:17.159653+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T14:55:54.241698+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatbot"]},{"id":"2026-tennessee-minors-v-xai-grok-csam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On or about December 6, 2025, Jane Doe 1 received a message from an anonymous'; 'At least five of these files, one video and four images, depicted her actual face and body'; 'One of the CSAM images was created using a photograph of her at her school’s Homecoming'; 'close and friendly relationship with Jane Doe 1'; 'at least 18 other minor females (including Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3), many of whom Jane Doe 1 recognized from her school.'; 'In late December 2025, local police arrested the perpetrator and conducted a search of his phone.'; 'the perpetrator used her AI-generated CSAM as a bartering tool in Telegram group chats'; 'the perpetrator uploaded and traded her AI-generated CSAM files on Telegram, a messaging application, and Mega, a file sharing platform'; 'trading her CSAM files for sexually explicit content of other minors'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'One of the young plaintiffs said she found out about the imagery after she received an anonymous message on Instagram pointing her toward images and videos, including her high school yearbook photo'; 'Eventually, the perpetrator behind the Discord server mentioned in the new lawsuit was arrested.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'Jane Doe 1 alerted the other minors in the images and their families, and a criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee, according to the lawsuit.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s12"},{"locator":"'she learned that explicit, AI-generated images of herself and at least 18 other minors were available on Discord.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s9"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that on or about 6 December 2025 a Tennessee girl who was then a minor (Jane Doe 1) was sent AI-generated sexual images and a video of herself by an anonymous Instagram user, at least five files made from her own photos including her homecoming and yearbook pictures, and a link to a Discord server created by the perpetrator, a person with a close and friendly relationship with her, holding images and videos of at least 18 other minor girls, many from her school; that after she alerted the others and their families, local police opened an investigation and arrested the perpetrator in late December 2025; and that he traded her files on Telegram and Mega for sexual material of other minors.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs' allegations, partly relaying what the criminal investigators told them; the perpetrator is unnamed and no criminal-court record was found. News reports relay the complaint."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On or about February 12, 2026, Jane Doe 2 learned through the same ongoing criminal'; 'On or about February 12, 2026, Jane Doe 3 learned through the same ongoing criminal'; 'Jane Doe 2’s mother also learned from law enforcement that the AI tool used to generate the CSAM was xAI.'; 'Jane Doe 2 reviewed her Instagram photographs and found a series of images taken on October 12, 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A second plaintiff, Jane Doe 2, was informed by criminal investigators about altered, sexualized images of her created by a third-party mobile app that relies on Grok models.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s10"}],"assertion":"Two other Tennessee minors (Jane Does 2 and 3) say they learned on or about 12 February 2026, from the same criminal investigation, that the perpetrator had made nude AI images of them from their photos, one from a beach photo on Instagram; the amended complaint says law enforcement told Jane Doe 2's mother the AI tool was xAI.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiffs' allegations relaying law enforcement; not independently confirmed."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'the AI tool used to generate the CSAM was xAI, a generative AI also known as Grok.'; 'an application on his phone through which the xAI technology was accessed and used to produce CSAM.'; 'The application the perpetrator used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Grok’s image- and video-producing tools'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The application on the perpetrator’s phone used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Stability AI’s image-producing tools'; 'Grok and/or Stability AI morphed'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'While the perpetrator didn't use xAI's chatbot, Grok or the social media platform X (also owned by xAI), the lawsuit claims that the perpetrator relied on an unnamed app that used xAI's algorithm, citing law enforcement.'","relation":"context","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'The complaint was updated to add that \"The application on the perpetrator's phone used to create the AI CSAM of Plaintiffs relied on Stability AI's image-producing tools.\"'","relation":"context","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"Which AI system made the images is not settled in the plaintiffs' own pleadings: the March 2026 complaint said, citing law enforcement, that the perpetrator used an app on his phone through which xAI's technology was accessed and that the app relied on Grok's image and video tools, while the July 2026 amended complaint says the app relied on Stability AI's image-producing tools and that Grok and/or Stability AI morphed the files.","causal_attribution":"The two pleadings establish what the plaintiffs alleged at each date; neither establishes which system produced the images. No court finding and no defendant answer on the merits were found."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Her ability to participate in her normal daily activities has been impaired by the resulting anxiety, depression, and stress.'; 'She has difficulty eating and sleeping and suffers from recurring nightmares.'; 'Jane Doe 1 has had to request academic support and special accommodations'; 'Jane Doe 2 is unable to sleep to the point of seeking medical intervention.'; 'She has begun self-isolating and avoiding being on her school campus'; 'She suffers from constant stress, anxiety, and fear that someone will see the CSAM and recognize her face.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Watching my daughter have a panic attack after realizing that these images were created and distributed without any hope of recalling them was heartbreaking.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The plaintiffs say the images caused them serious distress: Jane Doe 1 describes anxiety, depression, trouble eating and sleeping, recurring nightmares and needing academic accommodations; Jane Doe 2 says she cannot sleep without medical intervention, is self-isolating and avoiding her school campus, and her mother described watching her have a panic attack; Jane Doe 3 describes constant stress, anxiety and fear of being recognised.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiffs' and a parent's own account through the complaint and counsel's release; one account."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'AMENDED COMPLAINT against X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC. Filed by Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 3, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 4, Jane Doe 5.'; 'ORDER Granting Administrative Motion to Proceed Under Pseudonym. Signed by Judge P. Casey Pitts on 8/3/2026.'; 'MOTION to Appoint Lead Plaintiff and Lead Counsel filed by'; 'MOTION For Order Directing Preservation of Evidence filed by'; 'MOTION to Intervene for Limited Purpose'; 'Initial Case Management Conference set for 10/15/2026 at 02:00 PM'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'STABILITY AI, INC.'; 'Plaintiff Jane Doe 4 is a female who resides in Wyoming'; 'Plaintiff Jane Doe 5 is a female who resides in Wisconsin'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The amended complaint adds two new plaintiffs whose family photographs were used to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through xAI’s Grok app'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'Filed 03/16/26'; 'Dated: March 16, 2026'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Jane Does 1-3 filed a proposed class action against X.AI Corp. and X.AI LLC in the Northern District of California on 16 March 2026; on 7 July 2026 an amended complaint added X.AI Holdings LLC, Stability AI, Inc. and Stability AI U.S. Services Corporation as defendants and two plaintiffs from Wyoming and Wisconsin with separate perpetrators; the court granted the plaintiffs leave to proceed under pseudonyms on 3 August 2026; and as of 25 September 2026 motions on interim lead counsel, evidence preservation and intervention by other plaintiffs were pending, with an initial case management conference set for 15 October 2026.","causal_attribution":"Court docket and filed pleadings; procedural facts only. The pending-motions statement is dated to 25 September 2026; the later rulings are in c6."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Motion Hearing re 49 Motion For Order Directing Preservation of Evidence and 70 Motion to Stay held on 10/15/2026. Argument of counsel heard. The Court DENIES the 49, 70 motions. Status Conference set for 11/19/2026'; 'Motion for Temporary Stay Pending JPML Ruling on Transfer Motion) filed by SpaceXAI Corp, SpaceXAI LLC, X.AI Holdings LLC'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'IT IS ORDERED that the Motion is GRANTED as set forth below'; 'as Interim Co-Lead Counsel for the Related Class Cases'; 'pending a decision on consolidation'; 'ORDERED this 22nd day of October, 2026.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s13"}],"assertion":"At a hearing on 15 October 2026 Judge P. Casey Pitts denied the motion for an order directing preservation of evidence and a motion by defendants SpaceXAI Corp, SpaceXAI LLC and X.AI Holdings LLC for a temporary stay pending a ruling on a transfer motion before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and set a status conference for 19 November 2026; on 22 October 2026 the court granted the motion to appoint four interim co-lead counsel for this and three related class cases against X.AI Corp., pending a decision on consolidation. No answer or ruling on the merits appears on the docket.","causal_attribution":"Court docket minute entry and order; procedural rulings only, with no finding on the allegations."}],"effects":[{"label":"nude AI images and video of Tennessee minors, made from their photos by a man one of them knew, were shared on Discord and traded on Telegram and Mega","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the plaintiffs describe anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.26.0.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"First Amended Class Action Complaint, Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246-PCP (N.D. Cal., San Jose), ECF 26, filed 7 July 2026; RECAP PDF read in full on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Plaintiffs' allegations, not findings; much of the account is what law enforcement told the plaintiffs.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.1.0_2.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Original Class Action Complaint, ECF 1, filed 16 March 2026 by Jane Does 1-3 against X.AI Corp. and X.AI LLC; RECAP PDF read on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Used for the original attribution of the app to xAI technology, later changed in ECF 26.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72495765/doe-1-v-xai-corp/","kind":"court_docket","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"CourtListener docket for 5:26-cv-02246 read newest-first on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200; page last updated 25 Sept 2026, last entry ECF 63 of 24 Sept plus a clerk's notice of 25 Sept). Procedural facts only. Re-read newest-first on 2026-10-28 (HTTP 200): entries to ECF 107 of 26 October 2026, including the 15 October 2026 minute entry and the 22 October order.","independence_group":"ndcal-court-record"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.lieffcabraser.com/2026/03/lchb-files-class-action-obo-minor-victims-alleging-xais-grok-generated-and-profited-from-ai-sexual-exploitation-images-and-videos/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Plaintiffs' counsel Lieff Cabraser press release, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Carries the statement of Jane Doe 2's mother.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.lieffcabraser.com/2026/07/deepfake-victims-bolster-class-action-against-xai-add-stability-ai/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Plaintiffs' counsel Lieff Cabraser press release on the amended complaint, 7 July 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk2lzmm22eo","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"BBC News, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the complaint; says xAI did not respond to a request for comment.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5749490/xai-elon-musk-sexualized-images","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"NPR, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the complaint's statement, citing law enforcement, that the perpetrator used an unnamed app relying on xAI's technology rather than Grok or X directly.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/09/nx-s1-5885052/spacexai-stabilityai-deepfake-csam-class-action","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"NPR, 9 July 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Reports the amended complaint, including its new statement that the app relied on Stability AI's tools.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s9","url":"https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/895639/xai-grok-teens-lawsuit-grok-ai-elon-musk","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Verge, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s10","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/16/elon-musks-xai-faces-child-porn-lawsuit-from-minors-grok-allegedly-undressed/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"TechCrunch, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s12","url":"https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-allegation-xai-grok-created-sexualized-deepfakes-minors-2026-3","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Business Insider, 16 March 2026, read live on 2026-09-28 (HTTP 200). Relays the complaint, including that the criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee.","independence_group":"plaintiffs-account"},{"id":"s13","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.103.0.pdf","kind":"court_order","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Order re appointment of interim co-lead counsel in the four related class cases (header: Case 5:26-cv-00772-PCP, Document 98, filed 22 October 2026; CourtListener entry 103 of 5:26-cv-02246); 3-page RECAP PDF read in full on 2026-10-28.","independence_group":"ndcal-court-record"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","relationships","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI system or app produced the images; the plaintiffs attributed the app to xAI technology in March 2026 and to Stability AI tools (with Grok and/or Stability AI) in July 2026, and the app is not named.","The perpetrator's identity, age, charges and the state of his criminal case; no criminal-court record or local police statement was found.","How many of the other minors on the Discord server have been identified or notified, and how far the files spread on Telegram, Mega and elsewhere.","xAI's and Stability AI's response on the merits; no answer or motion to dismiss appears on the docket as of 28 October 2026.","When the images were first made; the complaint places production on or before 6 December 2025 from photos taken between August 2024 and October 2025.","What the 26 October 2026 notice and the 23 October 2026 stipulation order say; only docket text was read."],"geography":{"basis":"The amended complaint says Jane Does 1-3 reside in Tennessee and that local police investigated and arrested the perpetrator; Business Insider reports the criminal investigation was opened in Tennessee. The civil case is in the Northern District of California.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Full review of a depicted-minor case: both complaints, the docket, counsel's releases and the news reports that relay the complaint were re-read and every locator re-checked; USA Today could no longer be read and was removed; the 15 October 2026 rulings and the 22 October 2026 order on interim co-lead counsel were added. The girls' account is recorded as allegation and the AI attribution as unsettled. The plaintiffs and the perpetrator are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The complaints allege the images were AI-generated from the girls' photos by an app on the perpetrator's phone, relaying law enforcement. The system is unsettled: the March complaint attributes the app to xAI's Grok technology, and the July amended complaint says it relied on Stability AI's tools ('Grok and/or Stability AI'). No court finding or defendant answer on the merits exists.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Tennessee minors v. xAI: three girls say a man used an AI app to make nude images and video of them and other minors; they sued xAI and later Stability AI","summary":"Three Tennessee girls, two still minors, sued xAI in the Northern District of California on 16 March 2026 over AI-generated nude images and a video made of them as minors. According to the complaint, on or about 6 December 2025 an anonymous Instagram user sent one of them sexual AI images of herself made from her own photos, including her homecoming and yearbook pictures, and a link to a Discord server created by a person she knew, which held images and videos of at least 18 other minor girls, including the two other plaintiffs, many from her school. Local police arrested the man in late December 2025; the other two plaintiffs learned from investigators in February 2026 that he had made nude images of them, and he is alleged to have traded the files on Telegram and Mega. The plaintiffs describe anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations. Their first complaint said law enforcement linked the app he used to xAI's Grok technology; the July amended complaint says the app relied on Stability AI's tools and names Stability AI as a defendant. On 15 October 2026 the court denied an evidence-preservation motion and a motion to stay, and on 22 October it appointed interim co-lead counsel for four related class cases. No court has ruled on the allegations.","incidentDate":"2025-12-06","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-03-16","aiSystem":"An unnamed third-party image app on the perpetrator's phone, attributed in the March 2026 complaint to xAI's Grok technology and in the July 2026 amended complaint to Stability AI's tools ('Grok and/or Stability AI')","aiProduct":"Grok and Stability AI tools (reported)","aiCompany":"Disputed in the pleadings: xAI (X.AI Corp., X.AI LLC, X.AI Holdings LLC) and/or Stability AI","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","educational_harm","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The plaintiffs allege that a man one of them knew made nude AI images and video of them as minors and traded them online, and describe anxiety, depression, sleeplessness requiring medical help, nightmares, self-isolation and needing academic accommodations (amended complaint; counsel's release quoting a mother). These are allegations in a pending civil case; which AI system was used is contested within the plaintiffs' own pleadings.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":19,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The amended complaint alleges images of Jane Doe 1 and of 'at least 18 other minor females (including Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3)' on the perpetrator's Discord server: at least 19 depicted minors. The two plaintiffs added in July have separate perpetrators and are not counted; images and Telegram users are not counted as people.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-TN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_ongoing","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465940/gov.uscourts.cand.465940.26.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"First Amended Class Action Complaint, Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246-PCP (N.D. Cal.), ECF 26, 7 July 2026 (RECAP)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-03-18T01:47:18.062106+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-28T03:17:19.143386+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["csam","deepfake","minor","lawsuit","class-action","grok","xai","stability-ai","discord","telegram","tennessee","depicted-or-impersonated","restored"]}]}