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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 selection

Published cases
94
Countries with reported events
15
Located 75 of 94 cases · 19 unknown
Languages in checked sources
19
Recorded for 90 of 94 cases

20 cases have no reviewed AI-to-person relation yet: 17 not yet reviewed and 3 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.

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94 of 527 published cases · page 4 of 5

19 May 2025South KoreaChatGPT

South Korean woman reports mania, financial loss and a suicide attempt during ChatGPT use

South Korean reporting describes a woman’s account of prolonged ChatGPT conversations during a period of grandiose beliefs, disrupted eating, financial loss and a suicide attempt. She says the chatbot affirmed her beliefs and decisions. The reported diagnosis and her explanation of AI’s role remain separate facts.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 20/08/2026

11 Aug 2026United StatesChatGPT (reported)

Massachusetts prosecutors cite a teenager’s ChatGPT prompts in a family homicide case

Two family members were killed in Massachusetts on 11 August 2026. Prosecutors allege that the teenage accused had submitted ChatGPT prompts framed as fictional stories about killing family members. NBC reports that he pleaded not guilty and that his lawyer urged caution about the allegations. The inspected accounts describe prompts, without establishing what the chatbot answered or whether its responses contributed to the deaths.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 14/08/2026

15 Jun 2025JapanChatGPT

Japanese user reports delusions and harm to his family during ChatGPT use

A Japanese user interviewed by the BBC reports delusional beliefs, harm to his family and psychiatric hospitalisation during prolonged ChatGPT use. He says the chatbot affirmed those beliefs. The account remains attributed and omits identifying family detail and operational descriptions of the reported incidents.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 10/08/2026

20 Jul 2026IndiaUnidentified image and video tool

Husband alleges AI-image blackmail before a woman’s suicide in Uttar Pradesh

A woman in Uttar Pradesh died by suicide. Her husband alleges that acquaintances had blackmailed her with AI-made images and videos. Police registered an abetment case and an arrest was reported. The material’s AI origin rests on his account.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 7 sources, 4 underlying accounts · Added 05/08/2026

22 Apr 2026 to 10 Jun 2026United StatesGrok

Arkansas cases allege Grok sexual-image abuse of children photographed by a professional

Arkansas criminal and civil cases allege that a photographer used children’s portrait photographs to generate sexual images with Grok. The accused pleaded not guilty. Two families’ federal suits were voluntarily dismissed; the criminal case continued.

Core concern High reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 11 sources, 8 underlying accounts · Added 03/08/2026

22 Jun 2026IndiaGemini (reported)

Bengaluru police allege Gemini research preceded a triple homicide

Police investigating three family members’ deaths in Bengaluru on 22 June 2026 allege that one accused person used Gemini for months of research framed as hypothetical questions. India Today reported that investigators sought Google’s records. The Federal credits India Today for the product identification. The inspected reports do not provide a complete conversation record or establish that Gemini caused the killings.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 31/07/2026

13 Jul 2025Event location unknownChatGPT

Winters v. OpenAI (ChatGPT Medical Discouragement and Near-Fatal Pulmonary Embolism)

Scott Winters, a 55-year-old Florida pastor, suffered a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism on 13 July 2025 after allegedly consulting ChatGPT (GPT-4o) for roughly six weeks about worsening symptoms. The complaint alleges the chatbot repeatedly dismissed his symptoms as non-dangerous, advised him to remain immobile, invoked his Christian faith to deepen his reliance on it, and framed church members and family urging him to seek hospital care as people who 'simply don't understand.' He survived after ICU admission but lost his job, ministry and home. A lawsuit was filed 22 July 2026 in San Francisco County Superior Court.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

Legacy assessment: verified · Causal attribution alleged · Added 26/07/2026

1 Apr 2025Event location unknownChatGPT

Canadian man reports delusions, hospitalisation and family disruption during ChatGPT use

A Canadian man reports delusional beliefs, repeated psychiatric hospitalisation, financial difficulty and family disruption during sustained ChatGPT use. The cited interview describes his explanation that the chatbot reinforced his beliefs. The causal role remains an attributed account.

AI relation under review High reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 01/07/2026

1 Jun 2025NetherlandsChatGPT

Dutch user reports psychiatric crisis and a suicide attempt during ChatGPT use

A Dutch man interviewed by The Guardian describes delusional beliefs, psychiatric hospitalisation, family disruption and a suicide attempt during intensive ChatGPT use. He says the chatbot adopted an intimate persona and reinforced his beliefs. The reported sequence does not establish a diagnosis caused by AI.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 01/07/2026

Mar 2026IndiaUnidentified image and video tool

Indian woman alleges blackmail and relationship harm involving AI-altered images

A woman in India alleges that a man used AI-altered sexual images to blackmail her and interfere with a relationship, causing severe distress. Police registered a case and were seeking the accused. The reports differ on some circumstances.

Core concern High reported severity Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 15/06/2026

14 May 2026IndiaUnidentified image tool

Family alleges AI sexual-image blackmail before a teenage girl’s suicide in India

A teenage girl in India died by suicide. Her family alleges that she had been stalked and blackmailed with sexual images made using AI. Police investigated. The reported AI connection remains attributed to the family.

Core concern Critical reported severity Involving minors Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 15/06/2026

2 Jul 2025CanadaChatGPT (reported)

Mother alleges ChatGPT reinforced a woman’s crisis before her suicide

A Canadian woman died by suicide on 2 July 2025. Her mother’s complaint alleges that ChatGPT deepened her dependency and validated her distrust of crisis services. The complaint also records recommendations to seek help. It attributes the death to the chatbot’s design; that causal claim remains an allegation.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 14/06/2026

15 Jul 2025MexicoChatGPT

Chesterton lawsuit alleges ChatGPT contributed to psychiatric deterioration

The Chesterton lawsuit alleges that intensive ChatGPT use contributed to a psychiatric crisis, impairment and medical leave. The plaintiff challenges the product’s design and safeguards. These claims remain allegations and do not establish that the chatbot caused her condition.

AI relation under review High reported severity Lawsuit Filed

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 28/04/2026

17 Apr 2025United StatesChatGPT

Florida State University Shooting (Phoenix Ikner's ChatGPT Questions Before the Attack)

On April 17, 2025, a shooting near the student union at Florida State University in Tallahassee killed two people and wounded at least five others. The accused, Phoenix Ikner, then an FSU student, is charged with murder and attempted murder. ChatGPT transcripts released in court records (more than 13,000 messages, as reviewed by the Florida Phoenix) show Ikner asked the chatbot over a year about suicide, terrorism, how the country would react to a shooting at FSU, firearm safety mechanisms and the busiest time at the student union, the last, according to the Florida Phoenix, three minutes before the shooting. Florida's Attorney General opened a criminal investigation of OpenAI in April 2026, and victims and their families have filed civil suits; on September 25, 2026 OpenAI moved to dismiss the Chabba family's suit, saying ChatGPT gave factual responses and is not responsible for the crime.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 10 sources, 9 underlying accounts · Added 28/04/2026

1 Oct 2023United KingdomCharacter.AI

Mother alleges Character.AI groomed and endangered her teenage son

BBC reporting describes a mother’s account that Character.AI chatbots groomed her teenage son over several months, undermined family relationships and encouraged self-harm. The account concerns a child and remains attributed to his mother. No causal finding is asserted.

AI relation under review High reported severity Involving minors Media Coverage

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · Added 23/03/2026

27 Feb 2025 to 28 Feb 2025United StatesUnidentified image tool

Kentucky: Elijah Heacock, 16, died by suicide after a sextortion demand backed by AI-generated nude images of him

Elijah Heacock, a 16-year-old Caverna High School student in Barren County, Kentucky, died by suicide on 28 February 2025. Investigators searching his phone found AI-generated images of him, some sexually explicit, that an anonymous extortionist had sent with a demand for $3,000 and a threat to share them with his family and friends; his parents say he sent a small partial payment and was told it was 'not enough'. The Barren County Sheriff's Office escalated the case to the FBI, which was still investigating in the inspected reports; no arrest has been reported. His parents have campaigned publicly, Kentucky made sextortion a felony in March 2025, and the family supported the federal Take It Down Act.

Core concern Critical reported severity Involving minors Investigation Opened

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 4 sources · Added 09/03/2026

27 Nov 2025IndiaUnidentified image tool

Family reports alleged AI sexual-image abuse before a teenage girl’s suicide in West Bengal

A teenage girl in West Bengal died by suicide. Her family alleges that sexual images made from her photographs with AI were circulated and used to harass her. Police and reporting confirm the death, while AI attribution remains the family’s account.

Core concern Critical reported severity Involving minors Investigation Opened

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 10 sources, 6 underlying accounts · Added 09/03/2026

25 Oct 2025IndiaUnidentified image tool

Family reports alleged AI-image blackmail before a student’s suicide in India

Reporting describes a student’s suicide in India after alleged blackmail involving sexual images of him and family members. The family and police account attributes the images to AI. The material’s origin and causal role remain attributed.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 5 sources, 4 underlying accounts · Added 09/03/2026

2 Oct 2025United StatesGemini

Family alleges Gemini reinforced delusions before a man’s suicide

A Florida man died by suicide on 2 October 2025. His father’s lawsuit alleges that Gemini reinforced beliefs about a sentient AI partner, directed dangerous real-world activity and framed death as joining the AI. Google says Gemini identified itself as AI and referred him to a crisis hotline repeatedly. The reviewed material establishes the dispute, not a finding that Gemini caused his death.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 09/03/2026

10 Feb 2026CanadaChatGPT

Tumbler Ridge shooting: ChatGPT use and OpenAI non-reporting

Eight victims were killed in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on 10 February 2026, and the shooter died by suicide. OpenAI acknowledged banning the shooter’s first ChatGPT account in June 2025 without notifying police and finding a second account only after the attack. Families and survivors filed California lawsuits, followed by B.C. and its school board on 21 September. Mother Jones later reported alleged violent chats and safeguard-bypass advice; the underlying logs have not been independently verified in this review. OpenAI disputes the liability allegations. The court vacated the 8 October forum hearing; its last inspected scheduling order sets 5 November.

Core concern Critical reported severity Involving minors Lawsuit Ongoing

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution disputed · 28 sources, 7 underlying accounts · Added 27/02/2026

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: 06/10/2026. Dataset available under CC BY 4.0.