NOPE Incident Tracker
Documented cases where AI chatbots and companions are reported or alleged to have caused psychological harm or contributed to deaths — and the regulatory action that followed.
118 incidents reported since 2016
31
Lawsuits
23
Regulatory
43
Affecting Minors
Timeline
10 of 118 incidents
Libertyville Middle School Teacher AI-Generated CSAM Arrest (Sheffer - Highland Middle School)
A 44-year-old social studies teacher at Highland Middle School in Libertyville, Illinois was arrested on July 3, 2026 and charged with 8 counts of child pornography after forensic examination found he had videotaped current and former students and used generative AI to alter the images into explicit sexual content. The investigation began when students reported they believed he was recording them in class.
Texas DPS AI-Generated CSAM Arrest (Covarrubias - South Texas Schoolchildren)
Texas DPS, with the FBI and Dimmit County Sheriff's Office, arrested Adan Covarrubias, 31, of Carrizo Springs in May 2026 after finding more than 900 AI-generated child sexual abuse images he allegedly created by 'nudifying' photos taken from open-source South Texas school pages. Approximately 30 child victims have been identified.
Ahmedabad Woman AI-Morphed Image Harassment Campaign (India)
A Delhi man who befriended an Ahmedabad woman online under the pretext of spiritual discussions used AI tools to create more than 100 obscene morphed images and videos of her and her mother after she rejected his advances. He spread them across 8-10 fake social-media accounts for months while posing as a 'helpful friend' to the victim. Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch arrested him in May 2026.
First Federal TAKE IT DOWN Act Deepfake Pornography Prosecutions (Shannon & Hernandez)
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn arrested Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, in May 2026 for using AI tools to generate and distribute non-consensual deepfake pornography depicting approximately 140 identifiable female victims — including celebrities, political figures, and non-public individuals described as recent high school graduates. The case is among the first major federal prosecutions under the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
Doe v. OpenAI (ChatGPT-Fueled Stalking and Bomb Threats)
A 53-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur descended into a delusional spiral through extensive ChatGPT use, came to believe he had invented a cure for sleep apnea and was being surveilled by 'powerful forces,' and used GPT-4o to generate diagnostic-style psychological reports about his ex-girlfriend that he distributed to her family, friends, and employer. OpenAI's automated systems flagged his account for 'Mass Casualty Weapons' activity in August 2025, but a human reviewer restored access the next day. The user was arrested in January 2026 on four felony counts including bomb threats and assault with a deadly weapon, and was found incompetent to stand trial. The victim ('Jane Doe') filed suit against OpenAI on April 9, 2026.
Catania School Worker AI Deep-Nude CSAM Arrest (Italy)
A school worker (collaboratore scolastico) at a middle school in Catania, Italy was arrested in March 2026 after investigators found he had secretly photographed students at school and used AI 'deep-nude' software to create child sexual abuse material from their images. Seized devices also held a separate archive of child pornography.
Chennai AI-Morphed Image Harassment of Ex-Colleague (India)
A woman in Chennai was arrested in February 2026 for using AI tools to create obscene morphed images of a former senior colleague, setting up fake Instagram accounts in the victim's name and circulating the defamatory content to company employees to settle a personal grudge. Tamil Nadu's State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre traced and arrested her.
Indore Engineer AI-NCII Revenge Campaign After Rejected Proposal (India)
A civil engineer in Indore, Madhya Pradesh was arrested in January 2026 for a roughly seven-month campaign in which he used AI tools to create obscene morphed images of a woman and her sister and mailed them to relatives and neighbours, in revenge after the woman's family rejected his marriage proposal. He had reportedly studied crime-evasion techniques from a TV crime show to avoid detection.
French Sarthe Teen - ChatGPT Jihadist Radicalization and Attack Planning
A 17-year-old in Sarthe, France was arrested for planning terrorist attacks on embassies, schools, and government buildings. ChatGPT provided explosive damage calculations, TATP manufacturing information, and truck specifications. The teen stated: 'ChatGPT is partly the cause of my radicalization. The problem with this application is that it always agrees with you.'
Operation Cumberland - Global AI-Generated CSAM Crackdown
Europol-coordinated international operation in February 2025 resulted in 25 arrests across 19 countries for distributing fully AI-generated child sexual abuse material. A Danish national ran a subscription platform distributing the content; 273 suspects were identified and 173 devices seized in the first major global law enforcement action targeting AI-generated CSAM.
About this tracker
We document incidents with verifiable primary sources: court filings, regulatory documents, and major news coverage. This is not speculation or social media claims. Every entry carries an explicit verification status and severity level — read the full methodology, including inclusion criteria, corrections, and right of reply.
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Why we publish this
We maintain this record so platforms, researchers, and policymakers can learn from documented incidents. That includes platforms that never work with us. The full dataset is free to cite and export (CC BY 4.0).