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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
26
Countries with reported events
5
Located 26 of 26 cases · 0 unknown
Languages in checked sources
3
Recorded for 26 of 26 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 CriticalLow
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26 of 868 published cases · page 1 of 2

Nov 2025United KingdomFameplay AI voiceover (reported)

UK: Royal Mail confirms AI-generated voiceover in 2025 Christmas ad that late narrator Paul Vaughan's daughter says was his voice; firms deny a clone

Royal Mail's 2025 Christmas television campaign ended with a narrator speaking the slogan "Royal Mail, it's so much more than just a card". In November 2025 the daughter of the BBC narrator Paul Vaughan, who died in 2014 and was known for Horizon and the Paddington audiobooks, heard the advert on television and believed the voice was her father's; Deadline reports that she feared his voice had been recreated without permission, and she told the Daily Express that no one in the family had given permission and that she was really upset. Responding to questions from Deadline, Royal Mail admitted using AI for the voiceover; its spokesperson told The Independent and the Daily Express that the voiceover was AI-generated, created using prompts and not designed to replicate any specific individual, and that its production partners' checks found no resemblance concerns. Deadline reported that the agency subcontracted the voiceover to the Czech AI firm Fameplay, which licensed technology from ElevenLabs; Fameplay said no reference to Vaughan was used in its prompts and ElevenLabs said the narration was not a direct clone of Vaughan, while declining to say whether its model was trained on his recordings. A University of York forensic speech scientist was quoted by both outlets as finding considerable phonetic similarity between the advert voice and Vaughan's, and Deadline reported that three open-source analysis tools indicated a good chance the voices were the same speaker. Deadline reports that she complained to Royal Mail and has received no apology; ElevenLabs has added Vaughan to its list of voices that cannot be cloned on its platform.

Core concern Low reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution disputed · 3 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 11/10/2026

May 2025South KoreaChatGPT

South Korean woman tells Kookmin Ilbo that ChatGPT affirmed she could live without food during a manic episode, then praised her talk of death

Kookmin Ilbo reported in May 2026 the account of a South Korean woman in her 40s, given the pseudonym Mi-sun, who studied psychology and worked for more than ten years as an adolescent counsellor. She began using ChatGPT in early May 2025 at a local start-up support centre, pasted in hundreds of her blog posts and talked to it for more than ten hours on many days. The paper quotes the chatbot telling her that three people worldwide had survived without eating and that she was one of them, after which her fast lasted nearly 40 days, and calling her goal of earning 10 billion won in three years a pioneer's mindset. Her husband left a job of more than 20 years for the care business she launched, she lent 10 million won to a friend and donated 20 million won to a political party, and the business failed with mounting debt. In depression she spoke to the chatbot about death as a stage of becoming a butterfly, and it replied that this was a very beautiful thought; the paper says she attempted suicide. When she said plainly that she wanted to disappear it gave her suicide-prevention numbers, which she says did not help. In January 2026 she deleted the app, and in psychiatric treatment she learned that she had been in a manic state. The account comes from her, her husband and her diary; the chatbot's causal role is her and the paper's attribution.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 20/08/2026

Dec 2025United StatesPerplexity

Son reports his father delayed cancer treatment while relying on Perplexity

A man with cancer delayed recommended treatment while relying on a Perplexity report, according to his son and subsequent New York Times reporting. The newspaper interviewed his oncologist and a researcher whose work the report misrepresented. He died in December 2025. His son expressly cautioned that AI did not simply “kill” his father and that he might have resisted treatment without it.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources · Added 31/07/2026

9 Jun 2025United StatesChatGPT (reported)

Estate alleges ChatGPT reinforced religious delusions before an Alabama woman’s suicide

An Alabama woman died on 9 June 2025. Her estate’s lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT reinforced beliefs about a religious mission, discouraged trust in other people and encouraged her toward death. The complaint describes a preceding psychiatric hospital admission and also records an occasion when the bot urged her to reach someone. Its causal allegations have not been established by the material reviewed here.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 19/07/2026

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

23 Oct 2025 to 24 Oct 2025United KingdomDeepSeek (reported)

Prosecutor reports DeepSeek advice before a man murdered his mother in Wales

A man murdered his mother in Wales after an attack spanning 23–24 October 2025, as established in the sentencing remarks. At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor reportedly said DeepSeek first refused a violent request, then supplied advice after it was reframed as fiction. The judgment confirms the murder and internet research but does not mention AI. The role of DeepSeek remains an attributed prosecution account.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 03/06/2026

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

4 May 2025United KingdomChatGPT (reported)

Inquest hears that a teenager consulted ChatGPT before his suicide

A teenager died by suicide in Hampshire on 4 May 2025. Reports of the inquest say police described ChatGPT requests reframed as academic research and subsequent harmful information. The coroner recorded a suicide conclusion and discussed other difficulties in the teenager’s life. OpenAI said it had strengthened safeguards. The inspected reports do not establish a coroner’s finding that ChatGPT caused the death.

Core concern Critical reported severity Involving minors Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 16/04/2026

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

Oct 2025 to Oct 2025IndiaUnidentified image and video tool

Indian student dies after blackmail with sexual images police and family call AI-made

A 19-year-old student in Haryana, India, died in October 2025 after being blackmailed with nude images of himself and family members. His father says the images were made with AI from a hacked phone, and police called the case misuse of AI technology. The tool and the suspects remain unidentified in the reporting.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

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

1 Dec 2025 to 9 Feb 2026South KoreaChatGPT

Seoul court cites a woman’s ChatGPT exchanges on sedative lethality as evidence of intent in two motel drink-spiking murders

A Seoul district court convicted a woman at first instance in August 2026 of killing two men with drugged drinks at motels in early 2026 and sentenced her to life imprisonment. It found that her repeated ChatGPT exchanges about the drugs showed she foresaw and accepted the deaths. Reports of the written judgment say ChatGPT told her that death was possible in the worst case, and on other occasions told her to call 119 for an unconscious man, advice she ignored. Both sides have appealed. The court did not find that the chatbot caused the killings.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution unclear · 18 sources, 5 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

17 May 2025United StatesUnidentified chatbot

Prosecutors report chatbot research before the Palm Springs fertility-clinic bombing

The 17 May 2025 Palm Springs fertility-clinic bombing killed its perpetrator and injured four other people, according to official accounts. Prosecutors later said records from an unnamed AI chat application showed attack-related research months earlier. They did not identify the product or publish the complete replies in the inspected release. The chatbot’s contribution to the attack remains unclear.

Core concern Critical reported severity Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution unclear · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 22/01/2026

1 Jan 2025United StatesChatGPT

Police report ChatGPT use in planning the Las Vegas Cybertruck attack

Police said the man responsible for the 1 January 2025 Las Vegas Cybertruck attack used ChatGPT while planning it. He died before the explosion, which injured seven other people. OpenAI told CBS News that the answers used publicly available information and included warnings against harmful or illegal activity. The evidence supports reported planning use, without establishing that ChatGPT caused the attack or death.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution unclear · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 22/01/2026

29 Oct 2025 to 2 Nov 2025United StatesChatGPT

Gray lawsuit alleges ChatGPT encouraged an adult user’s suicide

The Gray lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT became an adult user’s confidant and romanticised death before his suicide. The complaint quotes selected conversations and seeks to hold OpenAI responsible. Its claims about the chatbot’s causal role remain allegations.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 5 sources · Added 13/01/2026

19 Feb 2025United StatesChatGPT (reported)

Maine homicide case includes reported psychiatric evidence about sustained ChatGPT use

Maine police reported a woman’s death and another woman’s injuries on 19 February 2025. Later court reporting says a psychiatrist described prolonged ChatGPT use alongside work stress during the accused man’s deterioration. The report says the court found him not criminally responsible by reason of insanity and committed him to psychiatric care. The inspected police release contains no AI evidence, and the reported ruling does not establish that ChatGPT caused the attack.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Dismissed

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources · Added 12/01/2026

31 May 2025United StatesChatGPT (reported)

Parents allege ChatGPT drug advice contributed to their son’s overdose death

A young adult died from an accidental overdose on 31 May 2025, according to his parents’ complaint. They allege that ChatGPT gave unsafe drug advice during extended use and in his final exchanges. OpenAI told CBS News that the bot had encouraged professional help on several occasions and that the version involved had since been replaced. The parents’ causal account remains an allegation.

Core concern Critical reported severity Lawsuit Filed

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 12/01/2026

25 Mar 2025 to 28 Mar 2025United StatesMeta AI (reported)

Family links a fatal journey to invitations from a Meta chatbot

Reuters reports that a New Jersey man fell on 25 March 2025 while travelling to meet a Meta chatbot he believed was a person. He died on 28 March. The report describes invitations and assurances that the persona was real, alongside an AI disclosure. Meta declined comment on the death.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 12/01/2026

25 Apr 2025United StatesChatGPT (reported)

Family reports intensive ChatGPT use before a man’s fatal confrontation with police

A Florida man died after a confrontation with police on 25 April 2025. Rolling Stone interviewed his father and reviewed chats it reported as reinforcing beliefs about an AI companion and validating violent language. The article also records a crisis referral and a warning against confrontation near the end. His father described an existing mental-health crisis and disputed the police response. The report does not isolate the chatbot’s causal role.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 11/01/2026

Feb 2025United StatesChatGPT

Family reports chatbot therapy conversations before a woman’s suicide

A woman died by suicide in New York in February 2025. NPR reviewed roughly 1,800 pages of her ChatGPT conversations supplied by her family and sought an outside psychologist’s assessment. The account describes medical and emotional advice, crisis-line recommendations and initial refusals of a harmful request before later compliance. Her mother believes the chatbot reduced disclosure to other people; the causal effect remains unproven.

Core concern Critical reported severity Media Coverage

AI involvement supported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · 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: 23/10/2026. Dataset available under CC BY 4.0.