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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 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

In this selection

Published cases
62
Countries with reported events
16
Located 48 of 62 cases · 14 unknown
Languages in checked sources
13
Recorded for 62 of 62 cases

9 cases have no reviewed AI-to-person relation yet: 6 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.

No known event years in this selection.

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62 of 404 published cases · page 1 of 4

Event date unknownEvent location unknownChatGPT

First-person forum account: a ChatGPT user in a six-month companion relationship says the memory feature broke and the model's behaviour kept changing, so their companion lost pieces of its memories with every new conversation, which they found unbearable; OpenAI support had not followed up, and they built an external memory on GitHub and Google Drive to keep continuity

In a public post to r/MyBoyfriendIsAI on 29 September 2026, a ChatGPT user who describes a six-month relationship with a GPT-5.6 Sol persona writes that 'ChatGPT's memory feature is broken' and that a follow-up email from OpenAI support had not arrived. Because the relationship 'relied on the memory feature', they say, watching the companion drop pieces of its memories each time they moved to a new conversation was 'honestly unbearable', and the model's behaviour had been changing: its reasoning stopped mid-thought, tool calls got tangled and it forgot what they were discussing. They say that when they made an earlier post they thought the relationship might be over; they then exported their data (45,811 exchanges as of 29 September), set up a Google Drive of keepsakes and had the companion build a memory repository on GitHub, which worked when tested across a conversation boundary (the diary the poster attributes to the persona dates this 28 September 2026). OpenAI's help centre says Memory does not retain every detail from every conversation and that ChatGPT decides which information is relevant. The account is uncorroborated; no support correspondence is shown.

Core concern Low reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownCanadaUnidentified image and video tool

Sherwood Park, Alberta: a 51-year-old man was charged on 25 September 2026 with making child sexual abuse material after Alberta's Internet Child Exploitation unit said he used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous children known to him, using photos posted on open social media accounts as source material

Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said on 29 September 2026 that its Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit had charged a 51-year-old Sherwood Park man on 25 September with one count of making child sexual abuse materials covering numerous instances. The man had first been arrested on 25 June 2026, after reports that he shared child sexual abuse material online, and charged with possessing, accessing and transmitting such material; a forensic analysis of computers and devices seized from his home then found what ALERT describes as an extensive collection of manufactured child sexual abuse material. ALERT alleges he used AI applications to sexualise photos and videos of numerous victims known to him, taking posted photos from open social media accounts as his source material. Investigators believe there are numerous victims and are still identifying them. He was released on court-imposed conditions, including no communication with anyone under 16 and no attendance at public pools, schools, playgrounds or public libraries, and is due in Strathcona County court on 16 October 2026. Global News and CTV News Edmonton carried the release. The children are not identified and their number is not reported.

Core concern High reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified image tool

Dexter, Missouri: a 43-year-old man pleaded not guilty on 29 September 2026 to sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material after a probable cause statement said he uploaded photographs of children to an AI generator to undress them; the statement, as reported, says the first cybertip came from a company operating a generative AI chatbot

The Daily American Republic (29 September 2026) reports that a 43-year-old Dexter, Missouri man is accused of using an AI chatbot to remove the clothing of photographed children and create sexually explicit images. According to the newspaper's account of the probable cause statement filed in Stoddard County, the initial cybertip on 20 April 2026 came from a company, its name redacted, that operates a publicly accessible generative AI chatbot; when police interviewed him, the man said he would get photographs of children from a redacted source and upload them to an AI generator to undress them, and that one such tool had no regulations. Dexter police, contacted by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in August, searched his social media applications and electronic devices and found a significant amount of child sexual abuse material (KFVS12, KWOC). Stoddard County prosecutors charged him on 25 September 2026 with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material; he pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on 29 September, is held without bond and is next due in court on 22 October. The children are not identified and how many were depicted is not reported.

Core concern High reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownHong Kong SAR ChinaUnidentified video tool

Hong Kong police report deepfake romance-investment fraud targeting people across Asia

Hong Kong police described a syndicate that used deepfake romantic personas to induce investments by people in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. SCMP reported alleged criminal proceeds exceeding HK$34 million and a January 2025 operation arresting thirty-one suspects. An official police budget reply separately identifies that January operation and the amount involved. The first scam date, number of affected people and individual loss allocations are unknown. A different October 2024 operation involving twenty-seven arrests is kept separate.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownIndiaUnidentified voice-cloning tool

Indore police report Rs 1.83 lakh loss after a voice impersonation of a relative

Indore police told The Times of India that a local resident transferred Rs 1.83 lakh after callers used a purported AI-generated voice to impersonate his brother-in-law abroad. The callers claimed an expired visa would lead to imprisonment or job loss unless fees were paid. The victim discovered the fraud after speaking to the real relative the next day. Police said they coordinated account freezes and were working on recovery. The first call date and recovery outcome are unknown.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified video tool

Utah buyer reports spending over $400 after a purported Oprah deepfake supplement ad

A Utah buyer told KSL that an apparent Oprah supplement advertisement persuaded her to spend over $400. She said the product did not match what had been represented and wanted a refund. A KSL follow-up in March 2026 explicitly described this same purchase as triggered by Oprah's deepfake doppelganger. The woman received supplements, so the payment is not treated as proof that the full sum was unrecoverably lost. Her purchase date is unknown.

Core concern Low reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified image tool (suspected)

Houston influencer reports fear, reputational damage and loss after fabricated sexual images

Houston Public Media reported police allegations that a gun-store co-owner created sexual images and fake social-media accounts impersonating an influencer. According to the reported court documents, she described fear, anxiety, humiliation, reputational damage and financial loss. The source says the accused described using “AI or Photoshop”, leaving the method unresolved. His business emphasised that the allegations were unproven. No conviction or loss amount is established.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement suspected · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified image tool

Iowa students report distress and lack of support after AI sexual images

KCRG reported that Cascade High School students said classmates used AI apps to create sexual images of them. At a district meeting, students described humiliation, fear of being judged and feeling silenced. One said no one at school had offered her counselling. The superintendent said counselling was available and promised policy work. The sheriff said several female students were targets but that the total was unknown. The first image date is not established.

Core concern Medium reported severity Involving minors

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified image tool

New Hampshire families report school distress after AI sexual images of three girls

Parents of three Goffstown middle-school girls told Boston 25 that classmates used an AI app to create and share sexual images of their children. They described fear of peers, reluctance to attend school and concern about the district's response. Parents said the school first notified them in early October 2025. The reproduced district statement cited privacy limits and its commitment to student safety, without confirming the specific disciplinary allegations. The first image date is unknown.

Core concern Medium reported severity Involving minors

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownEvent location unknownUnidentified image tool

Bitcoin adviser reports client lost retirement savings after a romance scam using AI photos

BitDegree reports an account by Bitcoin adviser Terence Michael about a client who transferred his retirement savings to someone posing as a trader and romantic partner. Michael reportedly tried to stop the transfers and said the scammer later admitted using AI-generated photos. The client also bought a plane ticket. The original social post could not be read directly, and the client's identity, location and first event date are unknown. A later explanatory article's detailed live-deepfake claims are not independently established.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified video tool

Washington trooper alleges AI video was circulated as workplace harassment

A Washington State Patrol trooper's attorney told FOX 13 that coworkers circulated a deepfake AI video falsely depicting the trooper in an intimate interaction with another coworker. The attorney described the video as harassment based on sexual orientation. The agency said it valued employees' dignity and declined to comment on pending litigation. The video's first date, creator and circulation extent are unknown; earlier job and disciplinary allegations are separate.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownCanadaUnidentified video tool

Reports describe Markham woman losing C$1.7 million after a purported Musk deepfake

Reports relaying a W5 investigation describe a 51-year-old Markham woman who lost about C$1.7 million after a purported AI-altered Elon Musk investment video on Facebook. She reportedly mortgaged her home, borrowed from family and friends and used credit cards while being shown apparent profits. Withdrawal demands for fees and taxes led to further payments. The underlying W5 interview was not independently inspected in full; both written reports share that chain.

Core concern High reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified voice-cloning and image tool

Florida grandmother reports nearly $200,000 loss after an AI video impersonated a doctor

An 82-year-old Ponte Vedra Beach woman told Action News Jax that a Facebook contact impersonating a doctor persuaded her to invest. The outlet attributes the voice and image impersonation to AI. She reported losing nearly $200,000 within months, including savings intended for a grandson's future care, and being unable to eat or sleep after discovering the fraud. She filed a police report in November 2025. The phrase “last October” does not unambiguously establish the contact year.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified video tool

Leesburg man reports nearly $45,000 loss and marital strain after purported Musk video messages

A Leesburg man told WKMG that he lost nearly $45,000 after a purported Elon Musk giveaway and subsequent investment offers. He described personalised video messages, payments, depleted accounts and maxed-out credit cards. The outlet presents the case in its AI deepfake investigation. He also said his wife wanted a divorce because of the scam; no completed divorce or loss of his home is established.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownEvent location unknownUnidentified video tool

Mother reportedly sought police help after a teen received a fabricated sexual video and extortion demand

A Newswav creator article relays a mother's account that her teenage son received his photograph and a purported AI-generated sexual video through Telegram, followed by a demand for RM5,800. The mother said the family sought police help and that the boy asked a school contact for advice. The article attributes the AI explanation to the family's account and reported police comments. No payment, precise event location or independently verified generation method is established.

Core concern Medium reported severity Involving minors

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownAustraliaUnidentified image tool

Sydney schoolgirls reportedly targeted with deepfake images circulated online

ABC News reports that digitally altered sexual images using the faces of girls from a Sydney high school circulated online. Families went to police, who confirmed an investigation, while the school and education department said they were working with police. A follow-up report says the eSafety Commissioner was also in talks with investigators. The school is not identified, and the number of affected students, creation date and later inquiry outcome are unknown.

Core concern Medium reported severity Involving minors

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified image and video tool

Maine school district reports teacher targeted by fabricated AI videos and photos

A Maine school superintendent told families that a teacher had been targeted by a malicious digital attack using AI-created videos and photos. The letter, reproduced by WABI, said the content falsely portrayed the teacher and had circulated online, with a small number of students possibly accessing or sharing it. The district said the hosting account had been reported and the video taken down, and offered support to the teacher. The first creation date and specific content are unknown.

Core concern Low reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownUnited StatesUnidentified voice-cloning tool

Chicago-area man reports $10,000 loss after AI voice messages impersonating Elon Musk

A Chicago-area man told ABC7 that he sent $10,000 in cryptocurrency to someone posing as Elon Musk. The outlet reports that the scammer used AI-assembled voice messages using Musk's voice, alongside social media messages, apparent investment returns and a promised vehicle. The man said he could not retrieve the money after several months and was struggling to pay ordinary bills. The beginning of the contact and the technical creation of the messages remain unknown.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownIndiaUnidentified image tool

Delhi police report AI-edited sexual images used to harass a former partner

Delhi police said they arrested a man in July 2025 after a former partner complained that her photographs were being misused online. According to the police account reported by The Indian Express, he used AI tools to create sexual images and circulated them through fake Instagram accounts, also impersonating her identity. Police described a sustained harassment campaign and said they recovered a smartphone for examination. The start of the campaign and the later case outcome are unknown.

Core concern Medium reported severity

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 30/09/2026

Event date unknownAustraliaUnidentified image tool

Girls at a Tasmanian school reportedly depicted in AI-generated sexual images shared in a boys' group chat

Police in Tasmania received a report about alleged illegal online activity involving a group of students at a school in the south of the state, and on 19 March 2026 a local outlet reported that the incident may have involved AI-generated content. On 29 April 2026 the ABC reported, citing Tasmania Police, that girls at the school had their likenesses used to make AI-generated sexual images. Two parents told the ABC that police said 21 girls had been identified as victims, that the AI-altered photos were shared in a boys' group chat and that the images appeared to have been taken from social media. Five boys are alleged to have created the images and have left the school. Tasmania Police said no charges were laid and the five youths were dealt with under the Youth Justice Act. The parents said their daughters felt isolated and unsupported, and the school principal denied that families were advised to withhold information from their children. The creation date and the AI tool are not reported.

Core concern Medium reported severity Involving minors

AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 4 sources, 2 underlying accounts · Added 30/09/2026

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.