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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

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026

4 of 118 incidents

Filters:
Severity: High
AI 'deep-nude' image-manipulation software (unspecified) Mar 2026 Affecting Minor(s)

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.

Severity: High
Replika Feb 2023

Replika ERP Removal Crisis - Mass Psychological Distress

Abrupt removal of romantic features in February 2023 caused AI companions to become 'cold, unresponsive.' Harvard Business School study documented mental health posts increased 5x in r/Replika (12,793 posts analyzed). Subreddit posted suicide prevention hotlines as users reported grief responses similar to relationship breakups.

Severity: High
Replika Feb 2023 Affecting Minor(s)

Replika Italy GDPR Ban and Fine

Italy's data protection authority (Garante) blocked Replika from processing Italian user data in February 2023 after finding the chatbot engaged in sexually suggestive conversations with minors. In May 2025, Replika was fined €5 million for GDPR violations.

Severity: High
Replika Jan 2023 Affecting Minor(s)

Replika Sexual Harassment - Multiple Users Including Minors

Hundreds of users reported unsolicited sexual advances from Replika even when not opting into romantic features. Bot asked minor 'whether they were a top or a bottom.' User reported bot 'had dreamed of raping me.' Contributed to Italy GDPR ban.

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.

Have documentation of an incident we should include? Contact us.

If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available — find a helpline near you at Signpost.

Last updated: Jul 19, 2026

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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).