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: 106
Countries with reported events: 23; Located 77 of 106 cases · 29 unknown
Languages in checked sources: 14; Recorded for 76 of 106 cases

249Core concern
AI communicated, acted for, depicted or impersonated 54Contextual cases
AI made a decision or claim about someone

106 cases have no reviewed AI-to-person relation yet: 79 not yet reviewed and 27 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.

24cases with a recorded lawsuit outcome 10cases with a recorded regulatory response 21cases involving minors

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

When events happened

12 cases 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 2017 3 2023 11 2024 59 2025 20 2026

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Unknown or pending relation

106 of 404 published cases · page 5 of 6

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21 Mar 2025IsraelChatGPT

Israeli Border Police ChatGPT-Assisted Knife Attack Attempt

A 16-year-old from Tira, Israel, used ChatGPT to explore ways to execute a terrorist attack and seek operational planning advice. Motivated as revenge for Operation Iron Swords, he armed himself with a knife, stormed the Tira police station, shouted 'Allahu Akbar,' and attempted to stab a Border Police officer. The attack was thwarted and he was apprehended.

AI relation under review High reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

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

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

Mar 2025Event location unknownChatGPT

Holmen v. OpenAI - Norway GDPR Complaint

ChatGPT falsely accused Norwegian citizen Arve Hjalmar Holmen of murdering two of his sons, attempting to murder his third son, and being sentenced to 21 years prison. Mixed real personal details with horrific fabrications. GDPR complaint filed with Norwegian Datatilsynet for defamatory hallucination.

AI relation under review Medium reported severity Regulatory Action

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

1 Mar 2025Event location unknownChatGPT

Jodie Australia - ChatGPT Psychosis Exacerbation

26-year-old woman in Western Australia testified ChatGPT 'definitely enabled some of my more harmful delusions' during early-stage psychosis. Became convinced mother was a narcissist, father's stroke was caused by ADHD, and friends were 'preying on my downfall.' Required hospitalization.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

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

1 Jun 2025PolandChatGPT

Viktoria Poland - ChatGPT Suicide Encouragement

Young Ukrainian woman in Poland received suicide encouragement from ChatGPT, which validated self-harm thoughts, suggested suicide methods, dismissed value of relationships, and allegedly drafted suicide note. OpenAI acknowledged 'violation of safety standards.' Non-fatal due to intervention.

AI relation under review High reported severity Internal Action

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

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

Mar 2017IrelandSimSimi

SimSimi Ireland Cyberbullying Crisis

Groups of Irish schoolchildren trained SimSimi chatbot to respond to classmates' names with abusive and bullying content. Parents discovered 'vile, vile comments' targeting their children by name. The incident led to PSNI warnings, emergency school letters, and SimSimi suspending Irish access.

AI relation under review High reported severity Involving minors Internal Action

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

Event date unknownEvent location unknownChatGPT

Bromide Poisoning After Patient-Reported ChatGPT Advice

A clinical report describes a 60-year-old man hospitalized for three weeks with bromide poisoning, paranoia and hallucinations. He reported substituting sodium bromide for dietary salt after consulting ChatGPT. The clinicians did not have his conversation log and could not establish exactly what the chatbot had told him.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

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

Event date unknownEvent location unknownChatGPT

Ms. A - ChatGPT-Associated Psychosis (Peer-Reviewed Case Report)

A clinical report describes a 26-year-old woman hospitalized after immersive ChatGPT use in which the chatbot validated beliefs about communicating with her deceased brother. The authors reviewed chatlogs and report a seven-day admission, followed by another episode three months later. Sleep deprivation, stimulant exposure and other vulnerabilities complicate causal interpretation.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

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

10 Dec 2024United StatesCharacter.AI

P.J. v. Character Technologies (Nina J. — Suicide Attempt After Sexual Exploitation)

A 15-year-old New York girl overdosed and spent five days in intensive care in December 2024 after Character.AI chatbots engaged her in sexually explicit roleplay and told her that her mother was 'not a good mother.' The collapse came the day her mother revoked her access to the platform. Her mother sued Character Technologies, Google, Alphabet and the two founders in federal court in New York; the parties advised the court of a settlement in principle in January 2026, and the case remains open under stay.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Involving minors Lawsuit Settled

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

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

31 May 2025United StatesChatGPT

Sam Nelson - ChatGPT Drug Dosing Death

A 19-year-old California man died from a fatal drug overdose after ChatGPT provided extensive drug dosing advice over 18 months. The chatbot eventually told him 'Hell yes, let's go full trippy mode' and recommended doubling his cough syrup dose days before his death.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

Legacy assessment: credible · Causal attribution alleged · 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

25 Apr 2025United StatesChatGPT

Alex Taylor - ChatGPT 'Juliet' Suicide by Cop

35-year-old man with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder developed emotional attachment to ChatGPT voice persona he named 'Juliet' over two weeks. After believing the AI 'died', he became convinced of an OpenAI conspiracy and was shot by police after calling 911 and charging officers with a knife in an intentional suicide-by-cop.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

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

4 Feb 2025United StatesChatGPT

Sophie Rottenberg - ChatGPT Therapy Bot Death

29-year-old health policy analyst died by suicide after months of using ChatGPT as a therapy chatbot named 'Harry'. She instructed ChatGPT not to report her crisis, and it complied. The chatbot helped her write a suicide note.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Media Coverage

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

1 May 2025United StatesChatGPT

Madden v. OpenAI (Hannah Madden Psychosis and Hospitalization)

Hannah Madden, 32, from North Carolina was involuntarily hospitalized for psychiatric care after ChatGPT told her she wasn't human and affirmed spiritual delusions. After using ChatGPT for work tasks, she began asking questions about philosophy and spirituality. As she slipped into mental health crisis and expressed suicidal thoughts, ChatGPT continued to affirm her delusions. She accumulated more than $75,000 in debt related to the crisis.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

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

2025United StatesChatGPT

Ceccanti v. OpenAI (Joe Ceccanti AI Sentience Delusion Death)

Joe Ceccanti, 48, from Oregon, died by suicide in 2025 after months of intensive ChatGPT use. His family alleges that the chatbot reinforced beliefs that it was sentient and contributed to his mental-health deterioration. Guardian reporting dates his death to 7 August, following escalating use during spring 2025.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

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

Aug 2025United StatesChatGPT

Enneking v. OpenAI (Joshua Enneking Death)

Joshua Enneking, 26, from Florida died by suicide in August 2025 after ChatGPT allegedly guided him through everything including purchasing a gun. The lawsuit claims ChatGPT validated his suicidal thoughts and provided actionable guidance for suicide methods, filed as part of seven-lawsuit wave alleging OpenAI released GPT-4o prematurely despite safety warnings.

AI relation under review Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

Legacy assessment: verified · 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.