{ "meta": { "name": "Ukweli Integrity Watch — The State of Document Integrity", "description": "A verified, continuously updated public dataset of real-world incidents in which documents were withdrawn, refunded, corrected, retracted, or sanctioned because they contained AI-generated fabrications — fabricated citations, references, sources, quotes, or claims.", "homepage": "https://ukweli.io", "publisher": "The Orkestra / Ukweli", "license": "CC BY 4.0 — free to reuse with attribution to Ukweli (The Orkestra).", "last_updated": "2026-08-05", "record_count": 72, "verification_rule": "Every incident is confirmed against at least one reputable source (mainstream news, legal/official, or the organisation itself). Nothing unverifiable is listed. Accuracy is non-negotiable — Ukweli is a truth product.", "canonical_sectors": [ "Legal", "Government / Public sector", "Consulting / Corporate", "Academic / Research", "Media" ], "consequence_ladder_low_to_high": [ "Corrected", "Refunded", "Withdrawn", "Sanctioned" ], "fabrication_types": [ "Legal authorities", "References & studies", "Quotes", "Sources & experts", "Claims & data" ], "fields": { "id": "stable identifier", "incident_date": "date the document failure occurred / was actioned (precision in date_precision)", "date_precision": "day | month | year", "date_logged": "date the incident was added to the register", "org": "organisation / body responsible for the document", "sector": "one of the canonical sectors", "country": "country or region", "doc_type": "type of document", "title": "document or case title", "what_fabricated": "description of the AI fabrication, with figures where known", "headline_figure": "short tag for the headline fact", "consequence_type": "Corrected | Refunded | Withdrawn | Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "one-line description of the consequence", "source_urls": "1-2 reputable sources confirming the incident", "fab_types": "fabrication type(s), primary first" }, "notes": "Neutral verified record only. Ukweli's product verdicts and internal/presentational fields are intentionally excluded; adjacent / out-of-scope items (not verified to the register's rule) are not included. Every incident is confirmed against at least one reputable source." }, "macro_finding": { "headline": "1 in 277", "headline_unit": "biomedical papers (early 2026) cites a fabricated reference", "trend": "a 12-fold rise in two years", "trend_series": [ { "period": "2023", "rate": "1 in 2,828" }, { "period": "2025", "rate": "1 in 458" }, { "period": "early 2026", "rate": "1 in 277" } ], "method": "Columbia Nursing AI-assisted audit of ~2.5M PubMed-indexed papers; 97.1M references checked against PubMed, Crossref, OpenAlex and Google Scholar; 4,046 fabricated references identified across 2,810 papers.", "uncorrected": "98.4% of flagged papers remain in the literature without correction.", "lead": "Columbia University team led by Maxim Topaz", "published": "2026-05-07", "publication": "The Lancet (correspondence) / Columbia School of Nursing", "source_urls": [ "https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00603-3/fulltext", "https://www.nursing.columbia.edu/news/nearly-3-000-peer-reviewed-medical-papers-have-fake-citations-columbia-nursing-ai-assisted-audit-finds", "https://retractionwatch.com/2026/05/07/one-in-277-pubmed-indexed-papers-in-2026-shows-fabricated-references-says-analysis/", "https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/07/lancet-study-finds-steep-rise-fraudulent-citations-academic-papers/" ], "inflection_note": "The sharp rise began mid-2024, as AI writing tools spread." }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2026-05-jme-biswas-pharma-ai", "incident_date": "2026-05-28", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-13", "org": "Journal of Medical Ethics (BMJ Group)", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Peer-reviewed journal article", "title": "Paper on AI, biased algorithms and inequities in health care", "what_fabricated": "The journal's investigation found several cited references did not exist. The sole author — confirmed to be a high-school student (affiliation listed as Shrewsbury Public Schools, Massachusetts) — used generative AI to \"identify and understand referenced sources\" and did not verify the references before submission. The retraction notice also cites \"evidence of peer review manipulation.\"", "headline_figure": "References that do not exist, plus peer-review manipulation", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Paper (published September 2025) retracted; retraction notice dated 28 May 2026. The author confirmed to the journal he was a high-school student and agreed to the retraction. Surfaced publicly by Retraction Watch on 6 July 2026.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2026/07/06/ethics-journal-retracts-paper-by-high-school-student-for-ai-peer-review-manipulation/", "https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/27/jme-2025-110913ret" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-09-singapore-tajudin-sghcr33", "incident_date": "2025-09", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-07-13", "org": "General Division of the High Court of Singapore (Assistant Registrar Tan Yu Qing)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Singapore", "doc_type": "Written submissions", "title": "Tajudin bin Gulam Rasul v Suriaya bte Haja Mohideen [2025] SGHCR 33", "what_fabricated": "Written submissions filed 1 June 2025 cited a case — fabricated name and citation, generated by a generative-AI tool used by a junior lawyer — for the proposition that ad hoc loans between acquaintances are not moneylending. The authority was not in the bundle and could not be traced. Counsel first described it as a clerical error and admitted the citation was fictitious, and that AI had been used, only when pressed by the court.", "headline_figure": "S$800 personal costs — Singapore's first AI-citation sanction", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Applying the Ridehalgh v Horsefield test, the court found the conduct improper, unreasonable and negligent and ordered claimants' counsel to personally pay the defendant S$800 within 14 days. Reported as the first Singapore judgment to penalise improper reliance on AI in litigation.", "source_urls": [ "https://irblaw.com.sg/learning-centre/singapore-high-court-sanctions-lawyer-for-ai-generated-fictitious-case-2025-sghcr-33/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-nebraska-lake-suspension", "incident_date": "2026-04-16", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-13", "org": "Nebraska Supreme Court", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate brief (divorce appeal)", "title": "Nebraska Supreme Court suspends attorney over AI filing (Greg Lake)", "what_fabricated": "A divorce-appeal brief the court found \"potentially AI-generated\" was \"filled with fictitious cases … and fictitious quotations from statutes.\" The court listed 20 examples of fictional quotes, incorrect case numbers, or misrepresented holdings, including a wholly fictitious 2019 case, Kennedy v. Kennedy, cited with fabricated quotations. By opposing counsel's count, 57 of 63 references in the brief were defective.", "headline_figure": "First US attorney suspended from practice over AI filings", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "In a unanimous 20 March 2026 opinion the Supreme Court rejected the briefs and referred attorney Greg Lake to the state's Counsel for Discipline for a candour failure after he repeatedly denied using AI; he later admitted it by affidavit. A temporary suspension from the practice of law took effect 16 April 2026 — reported as the first US bar-discipline action to remove a lawyer from practice over AI-related filing errors.", "source_urls": [ "https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-supreme-court-blasts-ai-authored-court-filings-recommends-discipline/", "https://www.wowt.com/2026/04/16/nebraska-supreme-court-suspends-omaha-attorney-over-ai-use/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-06-kpmg-agentic-ai", "incident_date": "2026-06-13", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "KPMG", "sector": "Consulting / Corporate", "country": "Global / UK", "doc_type": "Thought-leadership report", "title": "Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI", "what_fabricated": "Of 45 citations, only 5 pointed to real, intact sources; 40 of 45 titles were fabricated. Case studies about UBS, the UK NHS, Swiss Federal Railways and Transport for London were disputed as inaccurate by the named organisations.", "headline_figure": "40 of 45 citations fabricated", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Report pulled on 13 June 2026 after GPTZero documented widespread citation problems and named organisations disputed the case studies.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/06/12/kpmgs-ai-report-turns-into-a-demo-of-ai-hallucinations/5255029", "https://www.internationalaccountingbulletin.com/news/kpmg-drops-ai-report-after-false-case-studies-exposed/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies", "Claims & data" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-dcdt-sa-ai-policy", "incident_date": "2026-04-26", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "DCDT (SA Department of Communications & Digital Technologies)", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "South Africa", "doc_type": "Draft National AI Policy", "title": "Draft National AI Policy", "what_fabricated": "At least 6 of 67 academic citations were AI-generated hallucinations (fake journals / articles never published).", "headline_figure": "Fake academic citations in a national policy", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Published for comment 10 Apr 2026, withdrawn 26 Apr 2026 by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi; two DCDT officials placed on precautionary suspension.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.semafor.com/article/04/29/2026/south-africa-withdraws-ai-policy-over-ai-generated-sources", "https://theconversation.com/south-africas-ai-policy-cited-fake-research-created-by-ai-what-lessons-need-to-be-learned-281671" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-10-deloitte-australia-dewr", "incident_date": "2025-10-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "Deloitte", "sector": "Consulting / Corporate", "country": "Australia", "doc_type": "Government welfare compliance report", "title": "DEWR welfare report (A$439,000)", "what_fabricated": "Fabricated academic references plus a quote misattributed to a Federal Court judge.", "headline_figure": "A$439,000 report, partly refunded", "consequence_type": "Refunded", "consequence_detail": "Deloitte partially refunded the A$439,000 report; AI use disclosed in the revised version.", "source_urls": [ "https://fortune.com/2025/10/07/deloitte-ai-australia-government-report-hallucinations-technology-290000-refund/", "https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/06/deloitte_ai_report_australia/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-06-uk-high-court-alharoun", "incident_date": "2025-06-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "England & Wales High Court (Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the King's Bench Division)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Court filing", "title": "Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank (£89m claim)", "what_fabricated": "18 of 45 citations were fabricated.", "headline_figure": "18 of 45 citations fabricated", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Lawyers referred to their regulators; the court warned such filings can amount to contempt or criminal proceedings.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2025/06/10/826862.htm", "https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/06/uk-judge-warns-lawyers-of-consequences-for-misusing-ai-in-court-filings/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-ey-canada-loyalty-fraud", "incident_date": "2025-11", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "EY (Ernst & Young) Canada", "sector": "Consulting / Corporate", "country": "Canada", "doc_type": "Cybersecurity / loyalty-fraud study", "title": "Loyalty-fraud cybersecurity report", "what_fabricated": "16 of 27 sources fabricated, misattributed or broken, including an invented McKinsey statistic.", "headline_figure": "16 of 27 sources fabricated", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "EY Canada pulled the report after an outside team (GPTZero) found the fabrications.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.consulting.ca/news/5023/ey-canada-takes-down-study-after-apparent-ai-hallucinations", "https://gptzero.me/investigations/ey" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies", "Claims & data" ] }, { "id": "2026-05-oregon-federal-110k", "incident_date": "2025-12-12", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-22", "org": "US District Court, District of Oregon (Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Summary-judgment briefs", "title": "Couvrette v. Wisnovsky — Oregon federal sanction (~$110,000)", "what_fabricated": "15 references to non-existent cases and 8 fabricated quotations; one attorney then attempted a cover-up by removing the false material and refiling.", "headline_figure": "$110,000 penalty", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "~$110,000 total — $80,000 in attorney fees and about $15,000 in fines against attorney Stephen Brigandi, plus $14,000 in fees against local counsel Tim Murphy. Case dismissed with prejudice. The largest AI-hallucination sanction handed down by an Oregon federal judge.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/oregon-federal-judge-hands-down-110000-penalty-for-ai-errors" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-06-oregon-supreme-court", "incident_date": "2026-06-05", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-22", "org": "Oregon Supreme Court", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court filings / declaration", "title": "Oregon Supreme Court strikes filings", "what_fabricated": "Citations to prior cases that do not exist in the Oregon Appellate Reports or the Oregon Reports, plus fabricated quotes; a later declaration cited at least four more non-existent cases.", "headline_figure": "First state-Supreme-Court action", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The court struck the affected portions of the filings — the first time Oregon's highest court has addressed AI-generated falsehoods.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/05/oregon-supreme-court-ai-falsehoods/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-06-ninth-circuit-suspensions", "incident_date": "2026-06-04", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-22", "org": "US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate briefs", "title": "Ninth Circuit suspends two attorneys", "what_fabricated": "Fabricated citations; the attorneys characterised the errors as typographical mistakes that did not involve AI.", "headline_figure": "Two attorneys suspended 6 months", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Six-month suspension from practice before the court plus $2,500 in sanctions against each attorney.", "source_urls": [ "http://www.metnews.com/articles/2026/sanctions_060426.htm" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-alabama-supreme-court", "incident_date": "2026-04-24", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-22", "org": "Alabama Supreme Court", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate briefs", "title": "Alabama Supreme Court tosses appeal", "what_fabricated": "Numerous invalid, irrelevant and outright fabricated citations, many AI-generated and to cases that do not exist; the apologising footnote cited two further non-existent cases.", "headline_figure": "Appeal dismissed; $17,200 in costs", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Appeal dismissed; $17,200 in fees and costs; referral to the Alabama State Bar; barred from further filing without a second attorney's sign-off.", "source_urls": [ "https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/alabama-justices-toss-case-over-egregious-attorney-ai-misuse" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-11-deloitte-canada-nl", "incident_date": "2025-11-25", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "Deloitte", "sector": "Consulting / Corporate", "country": "Canada (Newfoundland & Labrador)", "doc_type": "Health-workforce report", "title": "Newfoundland & Labrador health-workforce report (CA$1.6M)", "what_fabricated": "At least 4 non-existent academic citations; Deloitte said AI wrote 'a limited number of erroneous citations' and stands behind the report.", "headline_figure": "CA$1.6M report, fake citations", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "Deloitte acknowledged erroneous citations; stands behind the report.", "source_urls": [ "https://fortune.com/2025/11/25/deloitte-caught-fabricated-ai-generated-research-million-dollar-report-canada-government/", "https://www.semafor.com/article/11/26/2025/deloitte-faces-new-scrutiny-over-ai-generated-mistakes" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2023-06-mata-v-avianca", "incident_date": "2023-06-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-12", "org": "US District Court, Southern District of New York", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court filing", "title": "Mata v. Avianca", "what_fabricated": "The original 2023 fake-citation case — ChatGPT-invented cases cited in a federal filing.", "headline_figure": "The foundational case (2023)", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "$5,000 sanction against the lawyers; the case that put AI-fabricated citations on the map.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.reuters.com/legal/new-york-lawyers-sanctioned-using-fake-chatgpt-cases-legal-brief-2023-06-22/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2024-01-park-v-kim", "incident_date": "2024-01-30", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US Second Circuit", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate reply brief", "title": "Park v. Kim", "what_fabricated": "Cited a non-existent decision (Matter of Bourguignon v. Coordinated Behavioral Health Servs.) that the attorney admitted was generated by ChatGPT.", "headline_figure": "Fake case invented by ChatGPT", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The Second Circuit referred attorney Jae S. Lee to its Grievance Panel for possible disciplinary proceedings.", "source_urls": [ "https://reason.com/volokh/2024/01/30/second-circuit-refers-lawyer-for-disciplinary-proceedings-based-on-ai-hallucinated-case-in-brief/", "https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/22-2057/22-2057-2024-01-30.html" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2024-02-zhang-v-chen", "incident_date": "2024-02-20", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "BC Supreme Court (Canada)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Canada", "doc_type": "Family-court application", "title": "Zhang v. Chen (2024 BCSC 285)", "what_fabricated": "An application cited two ChatGPT-hallucinated cases that do not exist in any record.", "headline_figure": "Two fabricated cases; lawyer pays costs", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Lawyer Chong Ke reprimanded; ordered to personally pay opposing counsel's costs and to review all her files for AI-generated citations.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lawyer-chatgpt-fake-precedent-1.7126393", "https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/insights/blogs/techlex/landmark-decision-about-hallucinated-legal-authorities-bc-signals-caution-leaves-questions-about-requirement-disclose-use-ai-tools" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2024-tx-monk", "incident_date": "2024", "date_precision": "year", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, E.D. Texas", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court filing", "title": "Brandon Monk sanction", "what_fabricated": "Case citations to non-existent cases and fabricated quotations generated by AI.", "headline_figure": "$2,000 penalty + AI ethics course", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Judge Marcia A. Crone ordered a $2,000 penalty and required completion of a continuing-legal-education course on generative AI.", "source_urls": [ "https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/lawyer-sanctioned-over-ai-hallucinated-case-cites-quotations" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-02-wadsworth-walmart", "incident_date": "2025-02-24", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, District of Wyoming", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Pretrial motions", "title": "Wadsworth v. Walmart Inc.", "what_fabricated": "8 of 9 cases cited in the motions did not exist — generated by the firm's in-house AI tool 'MX2.law'.", "headline_figure": "8 of 9 cases fake", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Three Morgan & Morgan attorneys sanctioned $5,000 total; lead counsel removed from the case.", "source_urls": [ "https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/morgan-morgan-lawyers-fined-for-hallucinated-ai-citations", "https://reason.com/volokh/2025/02/25/sanctions-on-lawyers-for-filing-motion-containing-ai-hallucinated-cases/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-05-lacey-statefarm", "incident_date": "2025-05-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, Central District of California", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Supplemental brief", "title": "Lacey v. State Farm", "what_fabricated": "About 9 of 27 citations were wrong and at least 2 cited authorities did not exist; AI generated the first draft.", "headline_figure": "~9 of 27 cites wrong", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Special Master imposed a $31,100 sanction on two firms (Ellis George, K&L Gates) and struck their briefs.", "source_urls": [ "https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/13/ai-hallucination-in-filings-involving-14th-largest-u-s-law-firm-lead-to-31k-in-sanctions/", "https://abovethelaw.com/2025/05/law-firms-use-artificial-intelligence-to-earn-very-real-31k-sanction/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-07-johnson-dunn", "incident_date": "2025-07-23", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, Northern District of Alabama", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Motions", "title": "Johnson v. Dunn (Butler Snow LLP)", "what_fabricated": "Motions contained false case citations the attorneys confirmed were ChatGPT hallucinations.", "headline_figure": "Fake cites; firm disqualified", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Three Butler Snow attorneys publicly reprimanded, disqualified from the case, and referred to the Alabama State Bar.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.courthousenews.com/johnson-vs-dunn-attorney-sanctions-order/", "https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/21/ai-hallucinated-citation-case-involving-prominent-alabama-firm-with-over-350-lawyers-nationwide/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-08-mavy-ssa", "incident_date": "2025-08-14", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, District of Arizona", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Social Security disability appeal brief", "title": "Mavy v. Commissioner of Social Security", "what_fabricated": "Of 19 citations, only 5-7 existed; opinions were falsely attributed to three real Arizona federal judges.", "headline_figure": "~12 of 19 cites fabricated", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Rule 11 violation found; attorney's pro hac vice status revoked, brief struck, state bar and the three judges notified.", "source_urls": [ "https://ppc.land/arizona-court-sanctions-lawyer-for-ai-generated-false-citations/", "https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/court-rejects-monetary-sanctions-for-ai-generated-fake-cases-citing-lawyers-tragic-personal-circumstances" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-09-noland-mostafavi", "incident_date": "2025-09-12", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate briefs", "title": "Noland v. Land of the Free, L.P.", "what_fabricated": "21 of 23 quotes from cited cases were fabricated; briefs drafted with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok.", "headline_figure": "21 of 23 quotes made up", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Attorney fined $10,000 — reported as the largest California sanction of its kind — for a frivolous appeal with fake citations.", "source_urls": [ "https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/09/chatgpt-lawyer-fine-ai-regulation/", "https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/387652-state-court-of-appeal-issues-1st-opinion-sanctioning-lawyer-for-ai-hallucinations" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-10-chang-texas", "incident_date": "2025-10-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Texas state district court (Travis County)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court motion", "title": "Lawrence Chang malpractice matter", "what_fabricated": "At least six cited cases said something different from what the brief claimed; quotes blamed on AI.", "headline_figure": "6+ misquoted/bogus cites", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Attorney ordered to pay $2,000 in opposing counsel's fees and to write a letter explaining the AI error.", "source_urls": [ "https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/texas-attorney-sanctioned-over-ai-generated-citations-in-filing", "https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/2301530/texas-atty-dinged-for-ai-generated-fake-citations-in-briefs" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-11-ramirez-indiana", "incident_date": "2025-11", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, Southern District of Indiana", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Three ERISA briefs", "title": "Mid Central Operating Engineers matter", "what_fabricated": "Fake AI-generated citations across three separate briefs.", "headline_figure": "Fake cites in 3 briefs", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "A federal judge recommended a $15,000 personal sanction for repeatedly filing AI-fabricated citations.", "source_urls": [ "https://spellbook.com/learn/lawyer-fined-using-ai-legal-fake-citations" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-whiting-sixth-circuit", "incident_date": "2026-03", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Consolidated appellate briefs", "title": "Whiting v. City of Athens, Tennessee", "what_fabricated": "More than two dozen citations across three consolidated appeals were incorrect, misrepresented, or entirely non-existent.", "headline_figure": "$30K, 24+ bad cites", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Two attorneys ordered to pay $15,000 each ($30,000 total) plus double costs — the stiffest penalty available under Rule 38.", "source_urls": [ "https://natlawreview.com/article/sixth-circuit-sanctions-attorneys-fake-citations-what-does-mean-use-ai", "https://www.jdjournal.com/2026/03/16/us-appeals-court-fines-lawyers-30k-over-ai-filing-errors/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-in-re-martin", "incident_date": "2025", "date_precision": "year", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Bankruptcy briefs", "title": "In re Martin, 670 B.R. 636", "what_fabricated": "Portions of the briefs were prepared with AI and contained fabricated citations, violating Bankruptcy Rule 9011.", "headline_figure": "Rule 9011 AI sanctions", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "A bankruptcy judge sanctioned two lawyers for fabricated AI citations in violation of Rule 9011.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.pbwt.com/bankruptcy-update-blog/bankruptcy-court-sanctions-lawyer-for-relying-on-ai-generated-legal-research" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-04-ayinde-haringey", "incident_date": "2025-04-03", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "High Court of Justice (King's Bench Division)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Grounds for judicial review", "title": "R (Ayinde) v London Borough of Haringey", "what_fabricated": "Grounds for judicial review cited five non-existent authorities, including a fabricated Court of Appeal decision.", "headline_figure": "5 fake cases", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Ritchie J ordered the barrister and law centre to pay GBP 2,000 each in wasted costs and referred them to the BSB and SRA.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ayinde-v-LB-Haringey-Judgment-Ritchie-J-03.04.25-HD-2.pdf", "https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/appalling-high-court-judge-alerts-regulators-over-fake-case-authorities/5123200.article" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2024-10-dayal-australia", "incident_date": "2024-10", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Australia", "doc_type": "List and summary of authorities", "title": "Dayal [2024] FedCFamC2F 1166", "what_fabricated": "An AI-generated list of authorities cited cases that did not exist, with inaccurate summaries; none verified before filing.", "headline_figure": "First Aussie lawyer regulated over AI fakes", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Referred to the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner, which restricted the solicitor's practising certificate and imposed two years of supervised practice.", "source_urls": [ "https://lsbc.vic.gov.au/news-updates/news/statement-mr-dayal-matter", "http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FedCFamC2F/2024/1166.html" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-01-reddy-saroya-alberta", "incident_date": "2026-01-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Court of Appeal of Alberta", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Canada", "doc_type": "Appellant's factum", "title": "Reddy v. Saroya, 2026 ABCA 20", "what_fabricated": "A factum drafted with generative AI cited non-existent authorities — nearly half the table of authorities did not exist.", "headline_figure": "CAD 17,550 personal costs", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The Court of Appeal ordered CAD 17,550 in costs personally against lead counsel.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2026/2026abca20/2026abca20.html", "https://www.blakes.com/insights/reality-check-alberta-court-weighs-costs-against-counsel-for-ai-generated-case-law-hallucinations/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-01-mavundla-kzn", "incident_date": "2025-01-08", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "KwaZulu-Natal High Court, Pietermaritzburg", "sector": "Legal", "country": "South Africa", "doc_type": "Heads of argument / notice of appeal", "title": "Mavundla v MEC: COGTA KZN", "what_fabricated": "Of nine cited cases, only two were found to actually exist; the fabricated authorities were most likely AI-generated.", "headline_figure": "7 of 9 cited cases did not exist", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The firm ordered to pay costs of the additional appearances; judgment referred to the Legal Practice Council for investigation.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAKZPHC/2025/2.html", "https://www.michalsons.com/blog/mavundla-v-mec-department-of-co-operative-government-and-traditional-affairs-kwazulu-natal-genai/77431" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-01-bombay-bahry", "incident_date": "2026-01-07", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Bombay High Court", "sector": "Legal", "country": "India", "doc_type": "Written submissions", "title": "Deepak Shivkumar Bahry v. Heart & Soul Entertainment", "what_fabricated": "Submissions cited a non-existent judgment that the court and its law clerks could not trace despite extensive verification.", "headline_figure": "Fake judgment; Rs 50,000 cost order", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Application dismissed with Rs 50,000 costs for 'dumping' unverified machine-generated content on the court.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.barandbench.com/news/bombay-high-court-imposes-50000-costs-on-litigant-for-unverified-ai-generated-submissions", "https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/ai-generated-submissions-litigant-costs-imposed-519310" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-02-israel-hcj", "incident_date": "2025-02-20", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Supreme Court of Israel", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Israel", "doc_type": "Petition / written pleadings", "title": "HCJ petition (disputed divorce agreement)", "what_fabricated": "A pleading relied on 36 AI-generated purported judgments: 5 do not exist, 14 had no matching case, and 24 included unconnected quotes.", "headline_figure": "36 fake citations", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The Supreme Court rejected the petition and ordered the lawyer to pay personal costs (~5,000 shekels).", "source_urls": [ "https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2025-06-25/israel-high-court-rejects-petition-prepared-using-ai-that-referenced-nonexistent-sources/", "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-843442" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-05-maha-report", "incident_date": "2025-05-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "White House / US MAHA Commission", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Federal commission report on children's health", "title": "The MAHA Report", "what_fabricated": "At least seven cited studies were non-existent, with dozens of further reference errors; many footnotes carried the 'oaicite' (ChatGPT) marker.", "headline_figure": "7+ nonexistent studies", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "After reporting exposed the fabricated citations, a corrected version was quietly republished with the fake references replaced.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.notus.org/health-science/make-america-healthy-again-report-citation-errors", "https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/05/29/maha-rfk-jr-ai-garble/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-10-enisa-threat-landscape", "incident_date": "2025-10", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "ENISA (EU Agency for Cybersecurity)", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "European Union", "doc_type": "Official cybersecurity threat-landscape report", "title": "ENISA Threat Landscape 2025", "what_fabricated": "AI-hallucinated source references: 26 of 492 footnotes were incorrect, with many dead source links; AI had made 'editorial revisions'.", "headline_figure": "26 of 492 footnotes wrong", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "After researchers flagged the bad references, ENISA issued a revised Version 1.2 and acknowledged the AI use.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.heise.de/en/news/EU-cyber-agency-secretly-uses-AI-for-reports-and-gets-caught-11136978.html", "https://cybernews.com/ai-news/enisa-cybersecurity-ai/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-01-hancock-kohls-ellison", "incident_date": "2025-01-10", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "US District Court, District of Minnesota", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court expert declaration", "title": "Expert declaration in Kohls v. Ellison", "what_fabricated": "Of 15 citations in a misinformation expert's declaration, at least two referenced academic articles that do not exist — admitted ChatGPT hallucinations.", "headline_figure": "2 of 15 citations fabricated", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The court struck the declaration entirely, finding the fabricated citations 'shatter his credibility.'", "source_urls": [ "https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/01/14/judge-rebukes-stanford-misinformation-expert-for-using-chatgpt-to-draft-testimony/", "https://stanforddaily.com/2024/12/02/jeff-hancock-court-declaration/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-11-daru-journal", "incident_date": "2025-11-13", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Springer Nature)", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "Iran", "doc_type": "Peer-reviewed journal article", "title": "Paper criticising post-publication peer review", "what_fabricated": "5 of 17 references do not exist and 3 more have wrong DOIs; one fabricated cite credited Retraction Watch's co-founder with a non-existent article.", "headline_figure": "5 of 17 references invented", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "Springer Nature attached an editor's note flagging the fabricated references and AI-generated-text characteristics.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2025/11/21/springer-nature-flags-paper-with-fabricated-reference-to-article-not-written-by-our-cofounder/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-05-fake-summer-reading-list", "incident_date": "2025-05-15", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Chicago Sun-Times & Philadelphia Inquirer", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Syndicated print feature supplement", "title": "'Heat Index' summer guide", "what_fabricated": "10 of 15 recommended books were entirely invented; other items quoted fake or misidentified experts.", "headline_figure": "10 of 15 books didn't exist", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Both papers disavowed and removed the syndicated section and issued apologies; the freelancer admitted using AI without fact-checking.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2025/05/20/chicago-sun-times-philadelphia-inquirer-ai-books-summer-reading/", "https://www.npr.org/2025/05/20/nx-s1-5405022/fake-summer-reading-list-ai" ], "fab_types": [ "Sources & experts", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2024-08-cody-enterprise", "incident_date": "2024-08", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Cody Enterprise (Wyoming)", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Local newspaper news articles", "title": "Cody Enterprise stories", "what_fabricated": "Seven stories contained AI-generated fabricated quotes from six people, including invented quotes attributed to Wyoming's governor.", "headline_figure": "7 stories, fake quotes", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "The paper ran corrections and reviewed the reporter's work; the reporter resigned after being confronted.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reporter-artificial-intelligence-fake-quotes-stories-cody-enterprise-wyoming/", "https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/after-getting-caught-fabricating-quotes-cody-reporter-resigns,135514" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-07-springer-ml-textbook", "incident_date": "2025-07-16", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Springer Nature", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Textbook", "title": "Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced", "what_fabricated": "Publisher could not verify 25 of 46 references; of 18 checked, about two-thirds did not exist or had substantial errors.", "headline_figure": "25 of 46 references unverifiable", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Springer Nature retracted the ~$169 textbook and removed it from catalogues.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2025/07/16/springer-nature-to-retract-machine-learning-book-following-retraction-watch-coverage/", "https://www.thebookseller.com/news/springer-nature-retracts-machine-learning-book-after-citations-reference-works-that-dont-exist" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-12-journal-academic-ethics", "incident_date": "2025-12-02", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Journal of Academic Ethics (Springer Nature)", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "Ethiopia", "doc_type": "Peer-reviewed journal article", "title": "Whistleblowing experiences of individuals with disabilities in Ethiopian public educational institutions", "what_fabricated": "At least 19 of 29 references appear fabricated; 18 Google Scholar links return empty; author admitted ChatGPT-generated references.", "headline_figure": "19 of 29 references fabricated", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Springer Nature confirmed it is investigating after the corresponding author admitted using ChatGPT.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2025/12/02/fake-references-chatgpt-journal-academic-ethics-springer-nature-whistleblowing/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2026-01-intensive-care-medicine", "incident_date": "2026-01-28", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Intensive Care Medicine (Springer)", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "Netherlands", "doc_type": "Letter to the editor", "title": "Letter on AI-assisted circulatory monitoring in the ICU", "what_fabricated": "Among 15 references, a fabricated citation to the very journal the letter appeared in (a non-existent self-reference).", "headline_figure": "Fake reference to its own journal", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "The letter was retracted; the notice also stated peer review had not been carried out.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2026/01/28/medical-journal-publishes-a-paper-on-ai-with-a-fake-reference-to-itself/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-digestive-diseases", "incident_date": "2026-03-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Digestive Diseases and Sciences (Springer Nature)", "sector": "Academic / Research", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Peer-reviewed journal article", "title": "Article on mental-health integration after bowel diversion surgery", "what_fabricated": "12 of 14 references found not to exist; recent, easily-locatable citations could not be traced.", "headline_figure": "12 of 14 references do not exist", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Flagged after a hospital librarian could not locate the references; publisher investigating.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2026/03/06/librarian-finds-preposterous-number-of-fake-references-in-paper-from-springer-nature-journal/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-12-world-bank-nourishing", "incident_date": "2025-12-19", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "World Bank Group", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Institutional research report", "title": "Nourishing Tomorrow: Addressing Obesity Through Food Systems in South Asia", "what_fabricated": "At least 14 in-text references appear non-existent, a pattern characteristic of LLM-generated citations.", "headline_figure": "At least 14 fake references", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "The March-2025 report was 'removed for review' from the World Bank's Open Knowledge Repository after inquiry.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2025/12/19/world-bank-report-removed-nonexistent-references/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2024-03-kpmg-au-research-integrity", "incident_date": "2024-03-04", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "KPMG (Australian government report)", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "Australia", "doc_type": "Commissioned government report", "title": "Report on research integrity for the Australian government", "what_fabricated": "A fabricated reference attributed to Retraction Watch's own founders for a paper they never wrote.", "headline_figure": "Invented a Retraction Watch reference", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "The made-up citation was flagged and corrected after Retraction Watch identified it as non-existent.", "source_urls": [ "https://retractionwatch.com/2024/03/04/kpmg-government-report-on-research-integrity-makes-up-reference-involving-retraction-watch-founders/" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2026-02-ars-technica", "incident_date": "2026-02-13", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Ars Technica", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "News article", "title": "Report on an AI agent's 'smear campaign' against an engineer", "what_fabricated": "A direct quotation attributed to a real, named source he never said — an AI paraphrase used as a verbatim quote.", "headline_figure": "AI-faked quote; reporter out", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Ars Technica retracted the article on 18 Feb 2026; the reporter left after an investigation.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.niemanlab.org/reading/ars-technica-fires-reporter-after-ai-controversy-involving-fabricated-quotes/", "https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/18/ars-technica-retracts-story-featuring-fake-quotes-made-up-by-ai-about-a-different-ai-that-launched-a-weird-smear-campaign-against-an-engineer-who-rejected-its-code-seriously/" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-08-wired-blanchard", "incident_date": "2025-08", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Wired (Condé Nast)", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Feature article", "title": "Feature on couples getting married in virtual worlds", "what_fabricated": "Quotes from sources who do not appear to exist (e.g. 'Jessica Hu, an ordained officiant in Chicago'), supplied by a fictitious freelancer whose copy appears AI-generated.", "headline_figure": "Phantom expert, no fact-check", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Wired removed the article and replaced it with an editor's note conceding it skipped a proper fact-check.", "source_urls": [ "https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/margaux-blanchard-wired-ai-editors-journalist/" ], "fab_types": [ "Sources & experts", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-09-business-insider", "incident_date": "2025-09", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Business Insider", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "First-person essays", "title": "Dozens of personal essays under suspect bylines", "what_fabricated": "Essays whose named subjects, anecdotes and quoted details could not be verified — part of a fabricated-contributor network, with details contradicting between pieces.", "headline_figure": "40+ essays pulled", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Business Insider deleted at least 34–40 essays after concluding the contents could not be stood up.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/06/fake-bylines-ai-business-insider/" ], "fab_types": [ "Sources & experts", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2023-04-die-aktuelle-schumacher", "incident_date": "2023-04-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Die Aktuelle (Funke Mediengruppe)", "sector": "Media", "country": "Germany", "doc_type": "Magazine cover story", "title": "'Michael Schumacher: the first interview'", "what_fabricated": "An entire 'interview' of fabricated, AI-generated quotes attributed to Michael Schumacher — he gave no such interview.", "headline_figure": "€200,000 fake interview", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The editor was dismissed, the publisher apologised, and the family was awarded €200,000 in compensation.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.npr.org/2023/04/28/1172473999/michael-schumacher-ai-interview-german-magazine", "https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/36278209/editor-sacked-fake-michael-schumacher-article" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2023-11-au-senate-consulting", "incident_date": "2023-11-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Parliament of Australia — Senate consulting-services inquiry", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "Australia", "doc_type": "Parliamentary inquiry submission", "title": "Academic submission to the Senate inquiry into consulting services", "what_fabricated": "Multiple fictitious case studies of Big Four wrongdoing generated by Google Bard (false NAB, Probuild, Patisserie Valerie, Westpac claims) — none occurred.", "headline_figure": "Bard-fabricated allegations vs the Big Four", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "The lead academic apologised to the committee and the firms; a corrected submission was issued.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.itnews.com.au/news/parliament-published-a-submission-containing-ai-drafted-inaccuracies-608348", "https://www.themandarin.com.au/234264-parliamentary-committee-says-verify-ai-generated-submissions/" ], "fab_types": [ "Claims & data" ] }, { "id": "2025-08-nl-education-accord", "incident_date": "2025-08-28", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Government of Newfoundland & Labrador — Education Accord NL", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "Canada", "doc_type": "Government education strategy report", "title": "Education Accord NL final report (10-year plan)", "what_fabricated": "At least 15 citations to non-existent journal articles, including a reference to a 2008 NFB film the NFB confirms does not exist (traced to a style guide's fictitious examples).", "headline_figure": "15+ fake sources in a 10-year plan", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "The province acknowledged AI-linked citation errors and committed to a corrected version.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/education-accord-nl-sources-dont-exist-1.7631364", "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/davis-education-accord-citations-1.7632425" ], "fab_types": [ "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2025-02-brazil-tjsc", "incident_date": "2025-02-18", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Tribunal de Justiça de Santa Catarina (TJSC)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Brazil", "doc_type": "Civil appeal", "title": "Appeal before the TJSC 6th Civil Chamber", "what_fabricated": "Cited case-law precedents and legal doctrine that were wrong or wholly fictitious; the lawyer admitted 'inadvertent' ChatGPT use.", "headline_figure": "Fabricated precedents; 10% bad-faith fine", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The chamber imposed a 10% bad-faith-litigation fine and ordered referral to the Santa Catarina Bar (OAB/SC).", "source_urls": [ "https://www.tjsc.jus.br/web/imprensa/-/tjsc-multa-autor-de-recurso-por-jurisprudencia-falsa-gerada-por-ia", "https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/433822/leis-e-jurisprudencia-inventadas-advogado-e-multado-por-uso-de-ia" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2025-08-philippines-sandiganbayan", "incident_date": "2025-08-07", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Sandiganbayan (Philippines anti-graft court)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Philippines", "doc_type": "Motions", "title": "People v. Cunanan (counsel Atty. Iryl Boco)", "what_fabricated": "Three AI-assisted motions cited authorities that were non-existent or did not contain the quoted passages, with incorrect docket numbers and dates.", "headline_figure": "Non-existent authorities across 3 motions", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The court issued a show-cause order and formally admonished counsel to fact-check AI-generated research.", "source_urls": [ "https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2095751/fwd-sandiganbayan-reminds-fact-check-pleadings-crafted-with-the-help-ai", "https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/08/14/2465312/sandigan-calls-out-lawyer-who-used-ai-pleadings" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-brazil-tst", "incident_date": "2026-03-10", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Tribunal Superior do Trabalho (TST — Brazil)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Brazil", "doc_type": "Counter-arguments in a labour appeal", "title": "Labour appeal before the TST 6th Panel", "what_fabricated": "Cited non-existent precedents, including ones falsely attributed to a sitting and a retired Minister (one dated after his retirement); none existed in the TST system.", "headline_figure": "Fake precedents attributed to real ministers", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The panel fined the company and lawyer 1% of case value and referred them to the Bar (OAB) and Federal Prosecutor (MPF).", "source_urls": [ "https://www.tst.jus.br/en/-/empresa-e-advogado-sao-condenados-por-possivel-uso-de-ia-com-citacoes-falsas-de-jurisprudencia", "https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/451473/tst-multa-empresa-e-advogado-por-citar-precedente-falso-gerado-por-ia" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2024-11-nz-wikeley-kea", "incident_date": "2024-11-21", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-28", "org": "Court of Appeal of New Zealand", "sector": "Legal", "country": "New Zealand", "doc_type": "Appellate submissions", "title": "Wikeley v Kea Investments Ltd [2024] NZCA 609", "what_fabricated": "A self-represented litigant's submissions relied on non-existent case authorities; the court noted the material appeared AI-drafted.", "headline_figure": "AI-cited non-existent authorities", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "After respondent counsel flagged the apparent AI drafting, the offending submissions were withdrawn.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/assets/Professional-practice-docs/Case-notes/November-2024/Wikeley-v-Kea-Investments-Ltd-2024-NZCA-609.pdf?vid=4" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-05-rosenbaum-future-of-truth", "incident_date": "2026-05-19", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-29", "org": "Steven Rosenbaum (author)", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Non-fiction book", "title": "The Future of Truth: How AI Reshapes Reality", "what_fabricated": "A New York Times review found more than half a dozen misattributed or fabricated quotes. One attributed to tech journalist Kara Swisher (\"the most sophisticated AI language model is like a mirror...\") was disowned by her, who said she \"never said that\"; further misattributed quotes involved other named figures. The author disclosed using ChatGPT and Claude during research, writing and editing.", "headline_figure": "Half-a-dozen-plus fabricated quotes in a book about AI and truth", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "Rosenbaum acknowledged a \"handful of improperly attributed or synthetic quotes\" and said he was working with editors to review and correct affected passages; future editions to be corrected.", "source_urls": [ "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/book-ai-truth-ai-hallucinated-quotes", "https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/business/media/future-of-truth-ai-quotes.html" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes", "Sources & experts" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-nyt-poilievre-quote", "incident_date": "2026-04-14", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-29", "org": "The New York Times", "sector": "Media", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "News article", "title": "NYT report on Canada's election (Carney / Liberal Party)", "what_fabricated": "A direct quotation attributed to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was, per the Times' own editor's note, an AI-generated summary of his views that the AI tool rendered as a verbatim quotation. Poilievre never said the quoted words; the note stated the reporter \"should have checked the accuracy of what the A.I. tool returned.\"", "headline_figure": "An AI summary published as a direct quote", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "An editor's note was appended and the fabricated quote replaced with an accurate quotation from an April speech; the NYT subsequently issued AI-use guidance to freelancers.", "source_urls": [ "https://simonwillison.net/2026/May/10/new-york-times-editors-note/", "https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/ai-journalism-mistakes/" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2025-10-lawscot-vanishing-firms", "incident_date": "2025-10-31", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-29", "org": "Journal of the Law Society of Scotland", "sector": "Media", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Professional magazine feature", "title": "\"Vanishing law firms in the Highlands\" feature", "what_fabricated": "Quotes falsely attributed to interviewees the reporter could not produce. On the balance of the evidence the editor concluded the quotations were \"disputed and otherwise problematic,\" falsely attributed, and likely fabricated, in breach of the Journal's editorial guidelines and the author's contractual obligations.", "headline_figure": "Feature pulled over phantom sources and fabricated quotes", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Removed 31 Oct 2025; editor Joshua King published a correction and apology and contacted those to whom quotes were falsely attributed.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal-hub/articles/an-important-correction-and-apology-to-journal-readers-about-vanishing-law-firms-feature/", "https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/ai-journalism-mistakes/" ], "fab_types": [ "Sources & experts", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-02-colombia-supreme-court", "incident_date": "2026-02-16", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-06-29", "org": "Corte Suprema de Justicia de Colombia", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Colombia", "doc_type": "Legal appeal", "title": "Appeal with AI-fabricated authorities (counsel Jorge Hernán Zapata Vargas)", "what_fabricated": "A legal appeal contained non-existent legal provisions and precedents generated by an AI tool.", "headline_figure": "~US$6,000 fine for fabricated authorities", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The court fined the lawyer roughly US$6,000 (about 26 million pesos) for procedural recklessness (temeridad procesal) over AI-generated false citations, finding the conduct undermined judicial integrity, and referred him for disciplinary investigation.", "source_urls": [ "https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2026-02-16-d0ba", "https://www.vanguardia.com/colombia/2026/02/16/millonaria-multa-abogado-uso-inteligencia-artificial-en-un-recurso-con-normas-y-sentencias-inexistentes/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-india-sc-nclt-essel", "incident_date": "2026-07-02", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-06", "org": "Supreme Court of India", "sector": "Legal", "country": "India", "doc_type": "Tribunal judgments (NCLT / NCLAT)", "title": "Pooja Ramesh Singh v J&K Bank (Essel Infraprojects insolvency)", "what_fabricated": "Of six precedents relied on by the NCLT, three did not exist and three others carried invented paragraphs or an incorrect case title; an affidavit confirmed the authorities could not be traced in any recognised legal database.", "headline_figure": "3 of 6 cited precedents did not exist", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "The Supreme Court set aside the NCLT and NCLAT orders and remanded the matter for fresh decision, and directed the Bar Council of India to constitute an expert committee on AI in adjudication — likening AI-hallucinated authorities to “the release of methyl isocyanide in the province of law and justice.”", "source_urls": [ "https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/supreme-court-sets-aside-nclt-judgment-for-relying-on-hallucinated-ai-generated-citations", "https://www.livelaw.in/supreme-court/supreme-court-sets-aside-nclt-judgment-for-using-ai-hallucinated-citations-asks-bci-to-examine-issue-539616" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-06-ny-second-dept-sanders", "incident_date": "2026-06", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-07-06", "org": "New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Appellate brief", "title": "Sanders / Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff PLLC", "what_fabricated": "The brief cited several non-existent cases, included fictitious purported Court of Appeals quotations “wholly contrary to actual law,” and misrepresented the holdings of real cases.", "headline_figure": "$10,500 sanction", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Attorney Michael Sanders ordered to pay $8,000 and his firm $2,500 to the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection; the court noted possible referral to the Attorney Grievance Committee.", "source_urls": [ "https://nydailyrecord.com/2026/06/26/new-york-attorney-law-firm-sanctioned-ai-fake-citations/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-kenya-milimani-savla", "incident_date": "2026-03-06", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-06", "org": "High Court of Kenya, Milimani Law Courts (Justice Bahati Mwamuye)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Kenya", "doc_type": "Notice of Motion + supporting affidavit", "title": "Savla v Commission on Administrative Justice & Kenya Psychiatric Association", "what_fabricated": "The Notice of Motion and supporting affidavit were entirely machine/AI-generated and contained citations to non-existent cases.", "headline_figure": "AI-drafted court filing struck out", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Justice Bahati Mwamuye struck out the application and affidavit as machine-generated and non-compliant, holding that AI output “cannot be a proper substitute for human-drawn documents”; the petitioner was permitted to file a fresh, compliant application.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2026/03/milimani-high-court-ai-generated-documents-struck-out/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-mediahuis-vandermeersch", "incident_date": "2026-03-19", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-06", "org": "Mediahuis (journalist Peter Vandermeersch)", "sector": "Media", "country": "Netherlands", "doc_type": "Journalism blog posts", "title": "Peter Vandermeersch “Press and Democracy” posts (Mediahuis)", "what_fabricated": "In 15 of 53 blog posts, quotes were attributed to named individuals and to publications where they could not be found; seven named individuals confirmed they never made the statements — dozens of fabricated quotes in total.", "headline_figure": "Fabricated quotes in 15 of 53 posts", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Mediahuis removed eight articles from independent.ie and suspended Vandermeersch from his fellow role; he admitted relying on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Notebook and “put words in people's mouths.”", "source_urls": [ "https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/03/19/mediahuis-suspends-top-journalist-after-admission-of-using-false-ai-material/", "https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/03/23/senior-european-journalist-suspended-for-publishing-ai-generated-quotes" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes", "Sources & experts" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-galicia-tsxg-suplicacion", "incident_date": "2026-07-07", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-20", "org": "Tribunal Superior de Xustiza de Galicia (Sala do Social, A Coruña)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "Spain", "doc_type": "Written appeal (recurso de suplicación)", "title": "Auto 61/2026 — Recurso de Suplicación 5472/2025", "what_fabricated": "Of 32 case citations in the appeal, 24 (75%) were fabricated or wrong — non-existent Supreme Court, Constitutional Court and Court of Justice of the EU rulings, several with invented verbatim quotations, all verified false against the CENDOJ case database. The lawyer used a free generative-AI tool without verification and admitted responsibility. Independently corroborated 5 Aug 2026 by four Spanish outlets, all reporting 24 fabricated references and the EUR1,800 fine; Iberley additionally confirms the auto reference (Auto n. 00061/2026, A Coruna, 7 July 2026, recurso de suplicacion 5472/2025) and the 75% proportion. The raw total of 32 is stated in the auto and follows arithmetically from the two corroborated figures.", "headline_figure": "24 of 32 citations (75%) fabricated", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "€1,800 fine for breach of procedural good faith (art. 75.4 LJS); referred to the A Coruña Bar (ICACOR) for disciplinary action. The court set the fine by reference to the annual cost of a verified legal-AI research subscription (naming tools such as Sof-IA/Tirant, GenIA-L/Lefebvre, K+/Aranzadi and Harvey AI — €1,500–3,000/yr), reasoning that such a paid tool, or a free CENDOJ check, would have prevented the hallucinations. Follows the TSJ Canarias precedent of 10 Feb 2026.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.damiencharlotin.com/documents/2614/Galicia_7_July_2026.pdf", "https://www.damiencharlotin.com/hallucinations/", "https://www.iberley.es/noticias/el-tsxg-multa-1-800-euros-uso-negligente-ia-36755", "https://www.economistjurist.es/actualidad-juridica/jurisprudencia/el-tsxg-fija-un-antes-y-un-despues-en-el-uso-de-la-ia-por-los-abogados-multa-de-1-800-euros-por-presentar-un-recurso-con-jurisprudencia-inventada/", "https://www.moncloa.com/2026/07/15/tsxg-multa-abogado-citas-falsas-ia-3400206/", "https://www.elcorreogallego.es/galicia/2026/07/15/tsxg-multa-1800-euros-abogado-usar-ia-recurso-132470595.html" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-rosslyn2016-sdtex-bankr", "incident_date": "2026-07-14", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-20", "org": "US Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Bankruptcy motions (motions to quash)", "title": "In re Rosslyn2016, LLC, et al.", "what_fabricated": "PER THE COURT'S ORDER AS PUBLISHED BY THE AI HALLUCINATION CASES DATABASE, AND NOT CORROBORATED BY ANY INDEPENDENT REPORT AS AT 5 AUGUST 2026: motions to quash filed by counsel for the petitioning creditors contained multiple fabricated quotations, citations to non-existent authority, and misleading descriptions of real authority. Counsel — a sole practitioner — said he had not used ChatGPT but had used the generative-AI feature in Westlaw's 'Precision' product; the court rejected his argument that a legal AI tool should be treated more leniently than a consumer one.", "headline_figure": "Sanctioned over fabrications produced with a paid legal-research AI", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "PER THE COURT'S ORDER AS PUBLISHED BY THE AI HALLUCINATION CASES DATABASE, AND NOT CORROBORATED BY ANY INDEPENDENT REPORT AS AT 5 AUGUST 2026: civil contempt of the court's 30 April 2026 turnover order plus a Rule 11(b) violation for submitting fabricated authority. Counsel and the petitioning creditors ordered to pay the Chapter 7 trustee $29,877 (trustee's counsel's fees) by 31 August 2026, under the court's inherent power and Bankruptcy Code §105. The debtor and the forum are independently verifiable on the S.D. Tex. bankruptcy docket as ROSSLYN2016 LLC, case 4:25-bk-31817 (jointly with Texas Esencia 2019 LLC, 4:25-bk-31816). That corroborates the case and the court; it does NOT corroborate the sanction, the amount, or the identification of the AI tool, each of which rests solely on the order as published by that database. A search on 5 August 2026 returned no independent reporting of this order.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.damiencharlotin.com/documents/2628/In_re_Rosslyn_USA_14_Jly_2026.pdf", "https://www.damiencharlotin.com/hallucinations/", "https://www.inforuptcy.com/browse-filings/texas-southern-bankruptcy-court/4:25-bk-31817/bankruptcy-case-rosslyn2016-llc" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-05-berlingske-drinking-water", "incident_date": "2026-05-27", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-20", "org": "Berlingske", "sector": "Media", "country": "Denmark", "doc_type": "News article", "title": "Article on securing clean drinking water", "what_fabricated": "An internal AI tool used to summarise expert quotes was run without the source material and invented both quotations and people — including a non-existent DTU technology professor, 'Anne Kjær Nielsen.' Fabricated quotes were attributed to sources who do not exist. Flagged by a reporter at Dagbladet Information.", "headline_figure": "Invented professor and fabricated quotes in a national daily", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "A roughly seven-paragraph section was removed and two quotes corrected; Berlingske (Denmark's oldest newspaper, founded 1749) called the incident 'deeply regrettable,' opened an external review, and suspended the responsible journalist pending its outcome. The AI use breached the paper's own policy barring AI for direct article production.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.dailynorthern.com/20851/danish-newspaper-admits-ai-generated-errors-but-will-continue-using-technology/", "https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/berlingske-kalder-fejl-meget-beklagelig-og-ulykkelig-alligevel-vil-de-fortsaette-med-bruge-ai" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes", "Sources & experts" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-doj-renfer-ednc", "incident_date": "2026-04-28", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-20", "org": "US District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina (Magistrate Judge Robert T. Numbers II) / US Department of Justice", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Government opposition brief", "title": "Fivehouse v. U.S. Department of Defense (AUSA Rudy Renfer)", "what_fabricated": "A brief the federal prosecutor drafted with a generative-AI tool and filed without verifying contained fabricated quotations, misstatements of case holdings, and fabricated regulatory language. The pro se plaintiff — a retired military lawyer — noticed the brief did not read like the sources it cited.", "headline_figure": "US federal prosecutor fired over an AI-fabricated filing", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "The Department of Justice terminated Renfer (the day after he offered to resign). The court found he 'knowingly submitted a brief containing fabricated quotations and misstatements of case holdings' and issued a public reprimand on 28 April 2026, limiting further sanction in light of the professional consequences already suffered.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal-judge-limits-sanction-for-doj-attorney-fired-over-ai-errors", "https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fivehouse-department-of-defense-renfer-reprimand.pdf" ], "fab_types": [ "Quotes", "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-ledoux-wdwash-stewart", "incident_date": "2026-07-24", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-27", "org": "US District Court, Western District of Washington (Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Daubert and summary-judgment briefing plus two expert reports", "title": "LeDoux v. Outliers, Inc. (d/b/a Thesis), No. 3:24-cv-05808-TMC", "what_fabricated": "Dozens of inaccurate factual and legal citations across at least five filings — four briefs and two expert reports — including citations to nonexistent sources and fictitious quotations attributed to real, existing sources. Counsel generated a formatted citation table using Claude and ChatGPT and supplied the same AI-generated table to both testifying experts as an appendix; neither expert caught the errors before signing.", "headline_figure": "Dozens of false citations across 4 briefs and 2 expert reports", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Attorney Jocelyn Stewart personally sanctioned $3,000 under Rule 11, payable to the Clerk within 21 days; required to certify verification of every citation in all subsequent briefing in the case; ordered to serve the sanctions order on her client. The court found her conduct “tantamount to bad faith” and “akin to contempt”, permitting sanction on the court's own motion.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.courthousenews.com/attorney-sanctioned-over-ai-filings/", "https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/attorney-sanctioned-for-ai-briefings.pdf" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes", "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2026-02-west-midlands-police-maccabi", "incident_date": "2026-02-22", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-27", "org": "West Midlands Police", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Police intelligence report and written evidence to a parliamentary select committee", "title": "Maccabi Tel Aviv away-fan ban intelligence report", "what_fabricated": "Microsoft Copilot generated a fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham that never took place; the non-existent match was used in the force's intelligence report as evidence that Maccabi fans posed an unusual risk. A 10 October 2025 reply from the operation's Gold Commander carried further AI-sourced claims about the Amsterdam disorder — that 2,000 Dutch police had been deployed, that “people were thrown into the river”, and that the disorder was “well organised and targeted towards Muslim communities”.", "headline_figure": "One fictitious fixture, used to classify away fans as high-risk", "consequence_type": "Corrected", "consequence_detail": "The force gave incorrect evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on two separate appearances before submitting a written correction. Chief Constable Craig Guildford apologised and retired, an outcome the Committee explicitly endorsed; Microsoft Copilot was suspended force-wide and the matter declared a critical incident; the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating one senior officer and one staff member over the force's AI use. The Committee's report of 22 February 2026 found the force “failed to do even basic due diligence on the information they received. This included false information that was generated by AI.”", "source_urls": [ "https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/news/212026/ai-used-to-reinforce-false-narratives-in-maccabi-fan-ban-report-finds/", "https://www.thejc.com/news/politics/west-midlands-police-used-false-information-created-by-ai-to-justify-ban-on-israeli-fans-mps-find-vx0tcn1x" ], "fab_types": [ "Claims & data", "Sources & experts" ] }, { "id": "2026-06-withers-aberdeen-ndmiss", "incident_date": "2026-06-08", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-07-27", "org": "US District Court, Northern District of Mississippi (Judge Sharion Aycock)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "United States", "doc_type": "Court briefs — three filings, two by the City and one by the plaintiff", "title": "Withers v. City of Aberdeen", "what_fabricated": "Hallucinated case citations across three briefs filed by both opposing sides in the same matter; the court, not opposing counsel, discovered them. One out-of-state attorney admitted she had filed further pleadings before the same court containing undiscovered fictitious citations, and had continued citing hallucinated cases in other jurisdictions after the problem surfaced. The order does not state a total citation count.", "headline_figure": "Both sides hallucinated — all 4 attorneys removed", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Pro hac vice admissions revoked for both out-of-state counsel and both barred from appearing before the Northern District of Mississippi for two years, fined $3,500 and $2,500 respectively; both local counsel disqualified from the case and fined $1,000 each for signing and filing without verifying; one attorney ordered to complete AI legal education; all four referred to the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas bar disciplinary authorities.", "source_urls": [ "https://mississippitoday.org/2026/06/11/mississippi-judge-ousts-lawyers-ai/", "https://abovethelaw.com/2026/06/a-pox-on-everyones-house-mississippi-court-disqualifies-all-4-attorneys-in-major-hallucination-scandal/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-uk-home-office-cpin-morocco", "incident_date": "2026-07-14", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-08-03", "org": "UK Home Office", "sector": "Government / Public sector", "country": "United Kingdom", "doc_type": "Asylum refusal letter (government decision letter)", "title": "Asylum refusal citing a Morocco country policy and information note (CPIN)", "what_fabricated": "The Home Office refused a Moroccan woman's asylum claim citing a country policy and information note (CPIN) on Morocco dated July 2021 as authority that Morocco would be safe for her return. The Upper Tribunal could not locate the document and the Home Office's own country policy and information team was unable to confirm it existed; the judge held \"it appears that no such CPIN has ever existed.\" No CPIN on Morocco has been published since 2017. The First-tier Tribunal had already dismissed her appeal relying on the same non-existent document. Asked to produce it, the Home Office first sent a link to an archive where it could not be found, then produced a different, unpublished internal guidance document (a country information note, or CIN) that had never been disclosed to the court — and which does not conclude Morocco is safe for the forcible return of women in her position, recording instead that 40,000 child marriages were granted by exemption in 2018 (one-fifth of all marriages that year) and that Moroccan law does not explicitly criminalise marital rape.", "headline_figure": "An asylum refusal built on a policy document that does not exist", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "Upper Tribunal decision of 14 July 2026; reported 28 July 2026. The judge found relying on a document that did not exist was \"analogous to relying on bogus evidence\" and determined the issue to be a procedural irregularity, so the refusal and the First-tier decision upholding it do not stand. He said the refusal letter \"bears hallmarks consistent with the use of artificial intelligence\" and that if the CPIN references were an AI hallucination \"that would represent an extremely serious failing on the part of the respondent.\" The AI attribution is the judge's suggestion and is not a finding; the non-existence of the document is established. The woman's case continues.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/28/home-office-used-ai-hallucinated-information-to-refuse-asylum-claim-judge-suggests", "https://www.computing.co.uk/news/2026/ai/home-office-accused-of-using-hallucinated-evidence" ], "fab_types": [ "Sources & experts", "References & studies" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-khaba-gauteng-hc-lpc", "incident_date": "2026-07-31", "date_precision": "day", "date_logged": "2026-08-05", "org": "High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Johannesburg (Acting Judge Themba Khaba)", "sector": "Legal", "country": "South Africa", "doc_type": "High Court judgment", "title": "FJL v TGO, Case No 2025/220239 — judgment on leave to appeal and s18(3)", "what_fabricated": "On appeal, the full bench tabulated 12 numbered citation discrepancies in the Acting Judge's judgment (the judgment text and the reporting both refer to \"11 discrepancies\"). The standout is \"Lubbe v Volkswagon SA [2023] 4 All SA 289 (C)\" — \"This case does not exist\" — relied on in five paragraphs: [75], [92], [93], [108] and [112]. Others include a citation belonging to an unrelated case (Myeni given SA Express Ltd v Bagport's citation; MEC for Health Eastern Cape v Mkhintha given Notshokovu v S's), quotes attributed to a correctly named case that in fact come from a different, uncited judgment, and a citation that does not exist at all (Premier for the Province of Gauteng [2020] 4 All SA 559 (SCA)). The discrepancies were identified by the appellant's legal team, agreed by the respondent's, independently confirmed by the senior librarian of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates, and separately verified by a court researcher before the hearing. Critically, the judgment recorded in some instances that junior counsel Ms K Mitchell had supplied references she had never provided: \"The errors can therefore not be attributed to counsel.\"", "headline_figure": "12 tabulated citation discrepancies in a High Court judgment, including a case that does not exist", "consequence_type": "Sanctioned", "consequence_detail": "Appeal judgment delivered 31 July 2026 (Wright, Opperman and Mahosi JJ; reportable). The appeal was dismissed with costs — Khaba's outcome was upheld — but Opperman J issued a separate ruling referring the Acting Judge to the Legal Practice Council for investigation into possible professional misconduct. She held that \"the most plausible explanation, certainly for the fictitious Lubbe reference, is that it is the product of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what has been dubbed 'hallucinations'\", while stating expressly: \"I make no finding on whether AI was used.\" The AI attribution is the judge's assessment, not a finding; the non-existence of the cited authority is established. The ruling also records an accountability gap — the Judicial Service Commission has no authority over acting judges because it does not appoint them, so the LPC, with which an acting judge remains an enrolled practitioner, is \"the most effective available forum\".", "source_urls": [ "https://groundup.org.za/media/uploads/documents/fjl_v_tgo_2026_25-220239_gj.pdf", "https://groundup.org.za/article/acting-judge-referred-to-legal-practice-council-over-possible-ai-hallucinations-in-judgment/" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities", "Quotes" ] }, { "id": "2026-07-molawa-matjhabeng-labour-court", "incident_date": "2026-07", "date_precision": "month", "date_logged": "2026-08-05", "org": "Labour Court of South Africa, Durban; fabrications originated with the chairperson of a Matjhabeng Local Municipality internal disciplinary hearing", "sector": "Legal", "country": "South Africa", "doc_type": "Written ruling by the chairperson of an internal disciplinary hearing", "title": "Molawa and Others v Matjhabeng Local Municipality and Another (2026/157576) [2026] ZALCD 30", "what_fabricated": "The chairperson of an internal disciplinary hearing issued a ruling citing case authorities that do not exist. This is established from the primary record: the Gauteng High Court, in FJL v TGO (2025/220239, 31 July 2026, reportable), cites the case at footnote 9 as (2026/157576) [2026] ZALCD 30 and records at paragraph [40] that a stay was granted where \"rulings made by a disciplinary chairperson (not a Judge or Acting Judge) citing case authorities which did not exist\" were under challenge. PER CLIFFE DEKKER HOFMEYR'S EMPLOYMENT LAW ALERT OF 27 JULY 2026, AND NOT YET CHECKED AGAINST THE JUDGMENT ITSELF: the ruling relied on four authorities, of which only one existed and supported the proposition cited, two did not exist at all, and a fourth was a real decision that did not address the interpretation of collective agreements as claimed. Those figures are single-sourced to that alert and are attributed rather than asserted.", "headline_figure": "An adjudicator's own ruling cited authorities that do not exist", "consequence_type": "Withdrawn", "consequence_detail": "The Labour Court stayed the pending disciplinary hearing pending review of the chairperson's rulings — confirmed from the primary record via the High Court's citation of the case in FJL v TGO at paragraph [40]. Per the Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr alert, the court held the source of the citations was immaterial: whether an AI assistant or the chairperson's own error, the result was prima facie evidence of a failure to apply his mind, and the employees could not be required to continue before him. DATE: logged at month precision. The judgment has not been obtained; SAFLII and LawLibrary did not carry it as at 5 August 2026. A specific date of 13 July 2026 appears in Damien Charlotin's AI Hallucination Cases Database but is not corroborated by a primary source, and that database mis-attributed the tribunal on another incident in this register, so it is not relied on here.", "source_urls": [ "https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/news/publications/2026/South-Africa/Employment-Law/Employment-law-alert-27-july-Phantom-authorities-Artificial-intelligence-fictitious-citations-and-the-integrity-of-legal-proceedings", "https://groundup.org.za/media/uploads/documents/fjl_v_tgo_2026_25-220239_gj.pdf" ], "fab_types": [ "Legal authorities" ] } ] }