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NOPE · AI and people

AI incidents

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 also records consequential decisions, claims and privacy harms involving AI. Each case needs a described connection between AI use and the harm, including private information recorded into or disclosed to an AI service. Each account is reviewed for publication; claims may remain uncorroborated or disputed. How we review and count cases

In this collection

Published cases
868
Countries with reported events
60
Located 580 of 868 cases · 288 unknown
Languages in checked sources
48
Recorded for 868 of 868 cases

76 cases have no reviewed AI-to-person relation yet: 24 not yet reviewed and 52 reviewed as unknown. Show these 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.

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

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.

Reported severity CriticalHighMediumLow
More filters: AI relation, use, setting, sources and responses

868 published cases · page 21 of 44

Event date unknownIndiaUnidentified image and video tool

Ambad, Jalna district, Maharashtra: a woman active in the Maratha reservation agitation complained to police that obscene photos and videos of her, which Pudhari and Divya Marathi report were made with AI, were posted on Facebook with rape and death threats after she publicly criticised the agitation's leader; Ambad police registered an FIR against five named profile holders and five to six others, reported on 2 October 2026

According to Pudhari and Divya Marathi (both 2 October 2026), a 35-year-old woman from Ambad who had been active in the Maratha reservation agitation publicly criticised the stance of its leader, Manoj Jarange Patil, in remarks to the media on 26 September. According to Pudhari's account of her complaint, some of his supporters then targeted her on social media: obscene photos and videos of her made with AI were posted on Facebook, and posts abused her in obscene language and threatened rape and death. Divya Marathi reports that her face was placed on obscene pictures and videos with AI deepfake technology and that the material spread on Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. She went to Ambad police station on 1 October with screenshots, saying she had been defamed and that she and her family were in danger. Police registered an FIR against five named profile holders and five to six others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 67 of the Information Technology Act. No arrest is reported.

Core concern Medium reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 05/10/2026

Event date unknownColombiaUnidentified video tool

Colombia: police dismantle a ring in Ibagué accused of defrauding people in seven countries with fake US visas, using AI to alter faces and voices in video calls and pose as consular officials

Colombian police (Dijín) and prosecutors announced in July 2026 that they had dismantled a ring in Ibagué accused of defrauding citizens of seven countries with fake visas and residence permits for the United States. Five people were captured during three searches. The Dijín director said members altered their faces and accents during video calls to pose as consular officials and members of US government agencies; police also described chatbots for first contact, voice cloning and manipulated videos. Semana and El País (Cali) report that more than 500 people are said to have been defrauded, and El País says the ring demanded payments of between 500 and 2,000 dollars. Three of those captured were charged, according to Caracol Radio.

Core concern Medium reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 05/10/2026

2026Event location unknownUnidentified image and video tool

Singer Yıldız Tilbe objects publicly in May, June and October 2026 to AI-made videos and photos that use the singer's image without permission, including material that, in Tilbe's words, makes the singer talk with people the singer does not know

Turkish outlets reported on 3 October 2026 that the singer Yıldız Tilbe wrote on social media: "I am very tired of people adding my images to videos and photos using artificial intelligence. I am fed up with your AI. Stop sending me videos like this." T24 says the videos and photos were prepared without the singer's permission and were sent to Tilbe frequently during the day. In May 2026 Tilbe had said, in remarks reported by T24 and Posta, that AI was frightening and that some websites showed Tilbe talking with people the singer did not know at all. Yeni Asır reported in June 2026 that Tilbe told reporters the AI videos using the singer's face bothered the singer. No legal step or platform action is reported and no maker is named; Sözcü says followers prepared the material.

Core concern Low reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 5 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 05/10/2026

2026Event location unknownUnidentified image and video tool

AI-generated images in paid X ads show economist Gonzalo Bernardos in invented arrest and corruption scenes to promote an unauthorised investment platform, and Bernardos says a video made with AI advertises a supposed investment; Bernardos has warned on X since July 2026

Maldita.es reported on 1 October 2026 that it found at least 20 paid ads on X, circulated on 24 and 25 September 2026, that used AI-generated images to show the economist Gonzalo Bernardos in invented scenes, among them police searching the economist's home. The ads were seen more than 400,000 times and, depending on the device, led to pages imitating El Mundo that said Bernardos had been arrested and promoted Norden Core, a platform not authorised by the CNMV. Marca reported that Bernardos warned on X on 23 July 2026 that individuals were using the economist's image in fake ads made with AI or other tools. El Caso reported on 4 October 2026 that Bernardos said on X that many people were asking about a video advertising a supposed investment, that the video was made with AI and that Bernardos had never made such promotions. No source reports a person who lost money or a complaint to the police.

Core concern Low reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 3 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 05/10/2026

26 Sept 2026United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Lexington, Kentucky: police surrounded a couple's home at about 4 a.m. in September 2026, one officer with a gun unholstered, after a Flock camera search by vehicle description returned their truck in a road-rage investigation

WEKU, WKYT and LEX 18 reported that Lexington police surrounded a couple's home in the early hours of 26 September 2026 while investigating a reported assault in a road-rage incident. The victim had described a dark pickup truck and gave no license plate. The Lexington Police Department said officers searched its Flock camera network using the description, that only one return matched at that time of day, and that this led to the response to the residence. Doorbell video showed several police cars, spotlights and an officer with a gun unholstered at the door. Officers told the couple they were not suspects and left after about ten minutes. Police said they determined the truck was not the suspect vehicle, placed no charges and described the visit as following up a lead, not a misidentification. The residents said the response frightened them and a 94-year-old relative inside the home.

Contextual tracker case Low reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 3 sources · Added 05/10/2026

2 Aug 2020United StatesUnidentified license plate reader

Aurora, Colorado: police held a woman and four children at gunpoint in 2020 after a plate reader matched her SUV to a stolen motorcycle, The Denver Post reports

On 2 August 2020 Aurora police officers stopped an SUV they believed to be stolen, ordered the woman driving it and four children to lie on the ground at gunpoint, and handcuffed two of the children. The Denver Post reported that a license plate reader at an Aurora intersection had alerted police because the SUV had the same plate number as a stolen motorcycle from Montana, and that officers did not check the reading or the vehicle description. Prosecutors declined to charge the officers in January 2021 and called what happened unacceptable and preventable. The department said all officers were repeating training on license plate scanners. Sentinel Colorado reported that the department's system had flagged the SUV, which carried Colorado plates, and that the City of Aurora agreed in February 2024 to a $1.9 million settlement with the woman and the children to resolve a lawsuit over the officers' actions. One officer was suspended for 160 hours. The woman said the stop destroyed her mentally and that one of the children became withdrawn.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Involving minors Lawsuit Settled

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources · Added 05/10/2026

Jun 2026United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Plymouth, Minnesota: police boxed in and detained an automotive journalist and the journalist's wife for about an hour in June 2026 after Flock cameras matched a loaned Range Rover's plate to an incomplete stolen-plate entry

An automotive journalist for The Drive wrote that on a Sunday afternoon in late June four Plymouth police cars boxed in the Range Rover press vehicle the journalist was testing, in a Kohl's parking lot. Officers ordered the journalist and the journalist's wife out, patted the journalist down, questioned both and said the plates were stolen. According to the account, officers said they had tracked the vehicle for days through Flock license-plate cameras and acted on a camera alert that morning. The couple were released after about an hour, once the manufacturer explained that a similar plate had been reported stolen in California. In a follow-up, Flock's chief communications officer said the stolen plate had been entered without its two middle digits and that the system matched what it was asked to find. The spokesperson said an alert does not equal probable cause. The police chief acknowledged that officers did not get it right. A second journalist with a similar plate was later stopped in Nebraska.

Contextual tracker case Low reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 05/10/2026

10 Jul 2026ChileUnidentified image tool

Chile: Puente Alto students find AI-made fake nude images of female classmates, families say; school suspends those involved, Superintendency investigates

Teletrece reported on 3 October 2026 that on 10 July 2026 female students at a secondary school in Puente Alto, Chile, found fake sexual images of themselves and other students on a classmate's phone. Families say the images were made with AI tools from ordinary photos the girls had posted on Instagram, that four students took part in obtaining, editing and circulating them, and that the material reached other students. Some of the girls had panic attacks, according to their parents. The school suspended the students identified as responsible for 15 days; after their return, parents say, they mocked the girls, a fight followed, and a parent accuses the father of one of the students involved of threats and of loitering near the school, after which she says they filed reports with the PDI. The Superintendencia de Educación confirmed a formal investigation of the school.

Core concern High reported severity Involving minors Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 04/10/2026

Event date unknownEvent location unknownUnidentified image and video tool

Belgium: a fake Facebook account posing as Crown Princess Elisabeth posts AI-generated photos and videos of her, including a suggestive video that went viral; the Royal Palace says it took the necessary measures

Belgian media reported on 27 and 28 March 2026 that a Facebook account presenting itself as the official account of Crown Princess Elisabeth, with more than 28,000 followers, had for months posted photos and videos of her, many of them generated with artificial intelligence. One suggestive AI video showing her dancing in a prison cell went viral, drew more than 1,000 likes and caused public indignation. The Royal Palace deplored the spread of such AI-generated content, called it unfortunately very frequent and said it had taken the necessary measures in this case; La Libre reported that the account appeared to have disappeared.

Core concern Low reported severity Internal Action

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 4 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 04/10/2026

Feb 2026United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Sherwood, Arkansas: a driver and passenger with a one-month-old child are detained after an officer draws his weapon because a Flock camera misread their plate by one letter as a stolen vehicle's

KATV reported on 18 March 2026 that in February a Flock license-plate-reader camera in Sherwood, Arkansas flagged a black Chevrolet Tahoe as stolen. An officer stopped the car in a Kohl's parking lot, drew his weapon and detained the driver; a second officer arrived and the passenger, who was in the back seat next to a one-month-old child, was also detained. According to the incident report, the plate the camera matched belonged to the stolen vehicle in its system and the stopped car was a different vehicle: the camera's read was off by one letter. The officers released both people once they realized the mistake. After the incident the Sherwood Police Department set up a Flock transparency portal.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Internal Action

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 1 source · Added 04/10/2026

Jun 2025United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

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

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.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution disputed · 2 sources · Added 04/10/2026

16 Apr 2021United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers (reported)

Atherton, California: police stopped a driver at gunpoint in April 2021 and made him lie on his stomach to be handcuffed after a license-plate reader misread the letter H on his dirty plate as M and matched it to a stolen car; the town settled his lawsuit for $45,000 in 2023

At about 5:30 a.m. on 16 April 2021, according to a lawsuit reported by The Almanac, an automated license-plate reader in Atherton, California, misread the dirt-obscured plate of a driver's car, reading its letter H as M, and matched it to a reported stolen vehicle. Atherton police followed the car for several minutes without visually verifying the plate, then made a high-risk felony stop, ordering him at gunpoint to throw his keys out of the window, get out and lie on his stomach to be handcuffed. He sued three officers in 2022 for unreasonable seizure and excessive force; the officers denied the allegations and the injuries he claimed, and the case was settled on 16 March 2023 for $45,000. Business Insider, citing police records, reported in March 2026 that the misread came from a Flock camera and that officers noted the Flock cameras had misread the plate; an Atherton police commander said the plate was obstructed by dirt and that the town denies wrongdoing.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Lawsuit Settled

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources · Added 04/10/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Kansas couple pulled over twice after Flock license-plate cameras matched their KU alumni plate number to a stolen pickup's temporary tag; in Catoosa, Oklahoma, officers held them at gunpoint and handcuffed the husband, KAKE reported in January 2024

KAKE News reported on 30 January 2024 that a Kansas couple whose minivan carries a four-digit University of Kansas alumni specialty plate were pulled over twice after Flock cameras flagged their plate number as belonging to a stolen vehicle. A stolen GMC pickup had a temporary tag with the same number, and the stolen-vehicle entry recorded the wrong plate type. In Colwich, Kansas, police stopped the wife after an alert from a Flock camera at the edge of town; the officer knew her vehicle and the problem was quickly found. About a month later, according to the husband, another Flock camera alerted police in Catoosa, Oklahoma, where officers blocked the couple's van in a parking lot, pointed drawn guns at them, ordered the husband out and onto his knees and handcuffed him. He said he was scared, and the couple say they worry such a stop could have devastating consequences for someone. Wichita police told KAKE that Flock cameras report only the plate's numbers and letters, not its type, and that the department had spoken with Flock about training its AI to recognize plate backgrounds.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 1 source · Added 04/10/2026

23 Jul 2023United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Police in New Mexico handcuffed two sisters, one a child, after a Flock plate camera misread a digit and flagged their car as stolen, lawsuits say; settled 2025

On 23 July 2023 Española police officers pulled over a car driven by a 21-year-old woman with her 12-year-old sister as a passenger, after a Flock Safety camera at an intersection flagged the car's plate as belonging to a vehicle stolen in Rio Rancho. According to the sisters' lawsuits, reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican in January 2024, the camera had read a 2 on the plate as a 7, and officers handcuffed both sisters and placed them in the backs of separate police vehicles before discovering the error; the older sister had asked an officer to call their mother, who lived nearby, to collect the girl. The suits sought damages for anxiety, fear, worry and restriction of movement. Business Insider, which reviewed the body-camera footage and incident report, reported in March 2026 that officers said the number was obscured by a license plate cover although it is visible in the footage, and that the family settled with the city in 2025.

Contextual tracker case Medium reported severity Involving minors Lawsuit Settled

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources · Added 04/10/2026

11 Apr 2024United StatesFlock Safety license plate readers

Toledo, Ohio: police stopped a man's pickup at gunpoint in April 2024 after a Flock license-plate camera misread his plate as stolen, released a police dog that bit him, and charged him; prosecutors dropped the charges and he later settled a lawsuit for $35,000

On 11 April 2024 Toledo police officers stopped a pickup truck after a Flock license-plate camera alerted them to a stolen plate. According to the police report and body-camera footage reported by 13abc and ABC News, the camera had misread the plate, which was not stolen. Officers drew their guns, ordered the driver out and to the ground, and a K-9 handler released a police dog as he began to kneel. The driver told ABC News he was bitten seven times on his forearm and elbow, was traumatized and could not work; he was arrested and charged with obstruction, resisting arrest and, later, failure to comply. Prosecutors dropped all charges in August 2024. The department found the dog deployment within policy and reprimanded the officer who made the stop for failing to visually verify the plate against the reader's information. Business Insider reported in March 2026 that police records show the camera read a 7 on the plate as a 2, that the man lost feeling in his fingers, gave up his lawn-care business and forklift work, sold his truck and was evicted, and that he had sued the officer and the city and settled in October for $35,000.

Contextual tracker case High reported severity Lawsuit Settled

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 5 sources, 3 underlying accounts · Added 04/10/2026

Event date unknownThailandUnidentified video and voice-cloning tool

Thailand: cyber police say an illegal gambling website, KFC888, used AI to fake the face and voice of luk thung singer Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan in advertising clips that urged people to sign up, as if she endorsed it; two Bangkok premises searched and a company representative summoned to acknowledge charges, reported 1 to 2 July 2026

Manager Online reported on 2 July 2026, citing the Royal Thai Police and its Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, that cyber police had moved against a large online gambling network after finding that it used AI to fake the face and voice of Hai Arpaporn Nakhonsawan, a well-known luk thung singer, in advertising clips that urged people to join the website. The clips gave the false impression that she recommended the site, although she had no involvement. Police traced the clips to the website KFC888, which offered online lottery, foreign stock-index lottery and sports betting, with turnover estimated at about 120 million baht a month. They searched two locations in Bangkok, a residence believed to be linked to the site's executives and an electronic payment-gateway company, seized computers and documents, and summoned an authorised person of the company to acknowledge charges including a Computer Crime Act offence over AI-created images that may damage others. Komchadluek reported on 1 July that the singer went to the cyber police after Facebook Reels clips altered with AI used her face and voice without her consent.

Core concern Low reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 04/10/2026

Event date unknownEgyptUnidentified image tool

Giza, Egypt: police say a man took photos of young women from social media, altered them with AI apps and ran pages posing as a woman offering paid sexual services, switching off his phone once people had transferred money; arrest in the Munira police district reported on 2 October 2026

According to an Interior Ministry statement relayed by Egypt Telegraph on 2 October and Youm7 on 3 October 2026, investigations by the ministry's General Administration for the Protection of Morals found that a man was running social media pages that defrauded people by making them believe he was a young woman and advertising paid sexual services. Police arrested him in the Munira police district of Giza with four mobile phones that held evidence of the activity. In the ministry's account he admitted taking photos of young women from social media, altering them with AI applications and reposting them on his pages so that followers would believe he was a woman, asking for money and switching off his phone once it was transferred. The reports do not give the number of people deceived, the amounts taken or the number of women whose photos were used.

Core concern Low reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 04/10/2026

Event date unknownEgyptUnidentified fake-chat tool

Egypt: Interior Ministry says a man admitted using AI programs to fake chats with public figures to lure people paying for product promotion, in 12 frauds

On 2 October 2026 Youm7, Akhbar El-Yom, Al-Gomhor and the National Media Authority's site Maspero relayed an Egyptian Interior Ministry statement saying that the ministry's information technology crimes department, working with the public security sector, had identified a man running a social media page that took money from people who wanted to promote their products through sponsored advertising, on the claim that it would raise their follower numbers. The ministry says that, when confronted, he admitted creating the page to defraud them and fabricating conversations with public figures using artificial intelligence programs to attract victims and make his activity look credible; Al-Gomhor attributes the fabricated conversations to the investigations. He asked them to transfer money and then switched off his phone. The ministry says he committed 12 fraud incidents against citizens in the same way and that legal measures were taken. The reports do not give the amounts, the number of distinct people defrauded, the public figures involved or the AI programs used.

Core concern Low reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 4 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 04/10/2026

May 2026ChinaUnidentified video tool (suspected)

China: Shanghai woman loses 800,000 yuan to a fake army officer met on a matchmaking platform; Pudong police point to a sign of AI synthesis in her screenshot of him

In May 2026 a 50-year-old woman in Shanghai met a man on a matchmaking platform who said he was an army regiment commander about to retire and sent officer and identity card photos. He also made a video call on his own initiative, in which he quickly covered his face with his hand to show he was not using AI face-swap. He then steered her into a fake investment platform, and within about a month she put in 800,000 yuan, almost all of it borrowed, and could not withdraw it. A Pudong police anti-fraud officer said that AI synthesis could still be detected and that in her screenshot the man's thumb was clearly longer than a normal person's. The report gives no direct statement that face-swap software was used. The case was under further investigation.

Core concern Medium reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement suspected · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 04/10/2026

Sept 2026Event location unknownUnidentified video tool

South Korea: deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts target a Korean streamer after a PUBG tournament stream-sniping dispute; publisher Krafton promises takedown requests and legal support

At the PUBG Asia Stars 2026 tournament, which opened on 17 September 2026, two players on the Vietnam team were found to have used other participants' live broadcasts or outside information during play, including to locate a Korean streamer in game. Hansbiz reports that the streamer was then targeted with deepfake composites and sexual-harassment posts, and Newspost reports that members of the Vietnamese gamer community spread deepfake videos made from Korean team streamers' photos. On 23 September 2026 the publisher Krafton apologised to the streamer and said it would request deletion and blocking of false claims, mockery and illegal composite posts and would cooperate with legal action; Hansbiz reports the promised support as covering criminal complaint proceedings. No complaint filing or police action is reported in the sources read.

Core concern Low reported severity Internal Action

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 4 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 04/10/2026

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: 23/10/2026. Dataset available under CC BY 4.0.