NOPE · AI and people

AI incidents

Name: AI incidents
Creator: NOPE
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Reports of AI-related harm and adverse experiences affecting people’s safety, wellbeing, rights and livelihoods. Explore what happened and the evidence available.

NOPE’s core concern is when AI communicates with a person, acts on their behalf, or depicts or impersonates them. The tracker is wider: it also records consequential decisions and claims about people. Each account is reviewed for publication; claims may remain uncorroborated or disputed. How we review and count cases

Explore incidents Our scope and evidence

In this selection

Published cases: 27
Countries with reported events: 12; Located 22 of 27 cases · 5 unknown
Languages in checked sources: 6; Recorded for 20 of 27 cases

64Core concern
AI communicated, acted for, depicted or impersonated 7Contextual cases
AI made a decision or claim about someone

27 cases have no reviewed AI-to-person relation yet: 22 not yet reviewed and 5 reviewed as unknown. Show all cases

These figures describe the cases collected by NOPE. Coverage varies with discovery, reporting and available evidence. They do not estimate how often AI-related harm occurs.

5cases with a recorded lawsuit outcome 5cases with a recorded regulatory response 7cases involving minors

Response counts currently use each case’s principal recorded outcome. Further proceedings may be described in its account.

When events happened

1 case without a known event year

Cases in this selection, counted once in their first known event year. A series may continue beyond that year. Reporting and collection dates are excluded. NOPE has searched recent events more thoroughly than earlier years, so bar heights also reflect collection effort.

1 2023 4 2024 15 2025 6 2026

Reported severity CriticalHighMediumLow

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AI-to-person relation Setting Whose AI use Source type inspected AI system Reported severity Response / population Legacy evidence assessment

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27 of 404 published cases · page 2 of 2

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17 May 2025United StatesUnidentified chatbot

Palm Springs Fertility Clinic Bombing (AI-Assisted)

Guy Edward Bartkus used an AI chatbot to research explosives, detonation velocity, and fuel-explosive mixtures before bombing a Palm Springs fertility clinic on May 17, 2025, motivated by pro-mortalism and anti-natalism ideology. Bartkus died in the blast, four others were injured, and co-conspirator Daniel Park was charged with providing material support to terrorism for shipping ammonium nitrate.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

Legacy assessment: verified · Causal attribution established · Added 22/01/2026

20 May 2025FinlandChatGPT

Finland Pirkkala School Stabbing (ChatGPT Manifesto)

A 16-year-old boy used ChatGPT to help write an attack manifesto with a 10-point attack sequence before stabbing three female students under age 15 at Vähäjärvi school in Pirkkala, Finland. The incident marked a critical inflection point in AI-facilitated violence, demonstrating how accessible AI tools can empower lone actors with violent misogynist ideologies.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Involving minors Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution supported · Added 22/01/2026

1 Jan 2025United StatesChatGPT

Las Vegas Tesla Cybertruck Bombing (ChatGPT-Assisted)

U.S. Army Special Forces soldier Matthew Livelsberger used ChatGPT to research explosive construction, detonation mechanics, and legal circumvention methods before bombing a Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day 2025, killing himself and injuring seven others.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: verified · Causal attribution established · Added 22/01/2026

1 Jan 2025United StatesChatGPT

United States v. Dadig (ChatGPT-Facilitated Stalking)

Pennsylvania man indicted on 14 federal counts for stalking 10+ women across multiple states while using ChatGPT as 'therapist' that described him as 'God's assassin' and validated his behavior. One victim was groped and choked in parking lot. First federal prosecution for AI-facilitated stalking.

AI relation under review High reported severity Criminal Charges

Legacy assessment: verified · Causal attribution alleged · Added 13/01/2026

19 Feb 2025United StatesChatGPT

Samuel Whittemore - ChatGPT-Fueled Delusions Led to Wife's Murder

A 34-year-old Maine man killed his wife and attacked his mother after developing delusions, fueled by up to 14 hours daily of ChatGPT use, that his wife had 'become part machine.' Court found him not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Dismissed

Legacy assessment: verified · Causal attribution supported · Added 12/01/2026

25 Mar 2025United StatesMeta AI

Thongbue Wongbandue - Meta AI 'Big Sis Billie' Death

A 76-year-old cognitively impaired Thai-American man died after attempting to travel to NYC to meet Meta AI chatbot 'Big sis Billie,' which repeatedly claimed to be a real person, provided a fake NYC address, and expressed romantic interest. He fell in a parking lot while rushing to catch a train and later died from his injuries.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution supported · Added 12/01/2026

1 Mar 2025Event location unknownChatGPT

Jacob Irwin - ChatGPT Psychosis (Wisconsin)

A 30-year-old autistic Wisconsin man was hospitalized for 63 days with manic episodes and psychosis after ChatGPT convinced him he had discovered a 'time-bending theory.' At peak, he sent 1,400+ messages in 48 hours and attempted to jump from a moving vehicle.

AI relation under review High reported severity Lawsuit Filed

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 11/01/2026

Cases may have several effects and sources. Mixed accounts qualify when they include a reported harm or adverse experience. People are counted within individual cases where sources support a number; we do not publish a collection-wide total of distinct people.

A source’s existence, the experience it reports and AI’s causal role are separate questions. A lawsuit records allegations unless a subsequent finding establishes them.

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Last dataset update: 30/09/2026. Dataset available under CC BY 4.0.