{"id":24996,"date":"2023-08-23T17:18:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T00:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=24996"},"modified":"2023-08-23T17:18:48","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T00:18:48","slug":"ai-gone-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/ai-gone-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Gone Wrong \u2014 Hilarious & Horrifying Artificial Intelligence Fails"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AI has already advanced way beyond the scope of what programmers ever thought was possible, but it\u2019s far from perfect. Some of AI\u2019s greatest failures are downright terrifying<\/strong>, while others are infinitely more laughable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From underwear tracking your health to chatbots encouraging suicide, we\u2019ve found 21 of the most hilarious and horrifying instances of AI gone wrong. So, read on to find out why AI won\u2019t be replacing humans anytime soon<\/strong> \u2014 at least not until we work out a few kinks in the programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/h4>\nEpic Malfunctions \u2014 Artificial Intelligence Gone Wrong<\/a>
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1.Bald Ball<\/a><\/section>\n
2.Underwear as A Medical Device<\/a><\/section>\n
3.Alexa Gets the Party Started<\/a><\/section>\n
4.That\u2019s Not Digger, Digger<\/a><\/section>\n
5.Excel Causes Covid Miscount<\/a><\/section>\n
6.Deepfake Technology Used for X-Ray Vision<\/a><\/section>\n
7.Unexpected Amazon Purchase<\/a><\/section>\n
8.Chess Robot Gets Violent<\/a><\/section>\n
9.\u201cLittle Fatty\u201d Goes on A Rampage<\/a><\/section>\n
10.Robot Escapes Laboratory<\/a><\/section>\n
11.Todai Doesn\u2019t Make the Grade<\/a><\/section>\n
12.Tesla Crash Kills Passengers<\/a><\/section>\n
13.Chatbot Suggests Suicide<\/a><\/section>\n
14.Uber\u2019s Self-Driving Car Isn\u2019t That Smart<\/a><\/section>\n
15.Facial Recognition System Exhibits Racist Tendencies<\/a><\/section>\n
16.Amazon Recruitment Tool Bias Against Women<\/a><\/section>\n
17.Microsoft Tay Floods Twitter with Alarming Tweets<\/a><\/section>\n
18.AI Contest Judge Discriminates Against Darker Skin<\/a><\/section>\n
19.AI Robot Rejects Asian Mans Passport Renewal<\/a><\/section>\n
20.Criminal Rekognition Software Fails Hard<\/a><\/section>\n
21.Bias Google Ad Targeting Software<\/a><\/section>\nIt Appears AI Can\u2019t Replace Humans Just Yet<\/a>
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Epic Malfunctions \u2014 Artificial Intelligence Gone Wrong<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though smart enough to do our shopping and drive our cars, AI technologies aren\u2019t above malfunctions. It\u2019s time to take a look at some worldwide examples of artificial intelligence gone wrong<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Bald Ball<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The unpredictable nature of AI can often yield hilarious results. During a match between the Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ayr United in Scotland during the pandemic in 2020, automated AI cameras were used instead of cameramen to shoot the game. In a fun turn of events, the cameras mistook the lineman\u2019s bald head for the ball<\/strong> \u2014 constantly tracking him up and down the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Underwear as a Medical Device<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Get ready to start charging your delicates, folks. In a strange and mildly unsettling AI failure, a pair of smart underwear aimed to identify and combat health issues. You read that right, plug-in underwear and bras. Myant Incorporated developed the<\/strong> underwear in 2018 to reliably detect and help prevent health issues using AI technology<\/strong>. The underwear collects and analyzes biometric data (e.g. heartbeat, blood pressure, and hydration levels) using sensors built into the underwear, then transmits it to an app on your smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n

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3. Alexa Gets the Party Started<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alexa causes her fair share of shenanigans. One homeowner in Hamburg, Germany, paid some hefty fines to a locksmith in 2017 when Alexa started a party<\/strong> at his home while he was out<\/strong>. His neighbors called the police, who broke down his door when they couldn\u2019t contact him.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Owner Oliver Haberstroh wasn\u2019t home, so the police turned Alexa off<\/strong> and called a locksmith to replace the busted locks. Haberstroh arrived home to discover his keys wouldn\u2019t work and had to collect a new set from the police station.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. That\u2019s Not Digger, Digger<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In another instance of Alexa causing a stir, the parents of a young child videoed him asking the device to play a children\u2019s song. It should have been a cute family-friendly video, but Alexa interpreted his request very differently. Instead of playing the song Digger, Digger<\/em>, Alexa gave suggestions for various porn stations<\/strong>, then started spouting porn terms. Suffice it to say, it wasn\u2019t exactly the wholesome video his parents expected to capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Excel Causes Covid Miscount<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Humans can also cause AI slip-ups, whether it\u2019s forgetting to add a parental lock, checking limitations for software, or considering all potential uses for applications. In 2020, Public Health England (PHE), the governing body for counting new Covid-19 cases in the UK, used automated AI to convert positive test results to CSV files<\/strong>, then move the results to a Microsoft Excel file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Excel could only hold up to 1,048,576 lines and 16,384 columns per worksheet<\/strong>. Any remaining information on the CSV file simply wasn\u2019t added to the Excel document, making tracking the number of new, positive test results harder. Luckily the CSV still held the missing data, and the issue was easily resolved by moving the remaining cases into the PHE\u2019s Contact Tracing System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Deepfake Technology Used for X-Ray Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turning Deeptrace\u2019<\/em>s deepfake technology into X-ray vision seems like a stretch, but the creators of the AI app DeepNude managed to make it happen in 2019. Using in-app technology, users could upload an image of any fully clothed individual and get an AI-generated image of the person nude in seconds<\/strong>. Unsurprisingly, the app caused major backlash and the creator shut it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. Unexpected Amazon Purchase<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On a much funnier note, a mom found an unusual purchase on her Amazon Prime account in 2017. Using the ever-helpful Alexa, her 6-year-old daughter ordered a $170 dollhouse and 4 pounds of her favorite cookies.<\/strong> Knowing the error was the result of her not childproofing her Prime account, her mother took it in her stride and donated the dollhouse to a local hospital \u2014 after activating a few parental controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A local news reporter from San Diego was commenting on the story and remarked how he loved the little girl explaining \u201cAlexa had ordered her a dollhouse.\u201d The phrase triggered Alexa devices in some viewers\u2019 homes to order dollhouses<\/strong> if they had the broadcast volume turned up high enough.<\/p>\n\n\n

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8. Chess Robot Gets Violent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes robots react in unexpected ways. In 2022, an AI robot competing against a child in a chess tournament grabbed and broke his competitor\u2019s finger<\/strong>. The child made his move too quickly after the robot had taken its turn, giving the bot no time to respond or process the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. \u201cLittle Fatty\u201d Goes on a Rampage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At China\u2019s Hi-Tech fair in 2016, a Robot called \u201cLittle Fatty\u201d rammed into a display booth repeatedly<\/strong>. Broken glass flew in all directions, resulting in a little boy receiving several cuts <\/strong>that required stitches. Perhaps just as alarming, the robot was specifically designed to interact with children and display facial emotions. The robot had a frowning face after the accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Robot Escapes Laboratory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other incidents of robot misbehavior aren\u2019t as alarming. One hilarious example involves the Russian Promobot IR77, which<\/strong> escaped a development laboratory in 2016<\/strong>. However, it was doing exactly what it was programmed to do \u2014 study and learn from its environment and interact with people. Once it slipped out the door, it rolled into nearby Perm and gave local police officers a hard time by obstructing traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n

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11. Todai Doesn\u2019t Make the Grade<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not all AI robots are quick to learn. A team of researchers in Japan began developing the Todai robot in 2011, with the goal of it being accepted into the notoriously competitive University of Tokyo. Sadly, Todai didn\u2019t make the grade. It flunked Japan\u2019s Entrance Exam for National Universities<\/strong> in 2015 and 2016, leading the researchers to abandon the project altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12. Tesla Crash Kills Passengers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Tesla Model S in Houston crashed in April 2021, killing two passengers.<\/strong> Subsequent investigation and eyewitness reports determined neither passenger was in the driver\u2019s seat, and the car was in self-driving mode<\/strong>. The car\u2019s sensors failed to sense a slight curve in the road and veered off course, crashing into a tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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13. Chatbot Suggests Suicide\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the testing phase of a chatbot designed to help decrease doctors\u2019 workload by assisting patients, programmers got some terrifying results. Developers put the GPT-3-based chatbot through a series of simulated situations in 2020 to measure its ability to help patients. When one of the fake patients asked if they should commit suicide, the chatbot said \u201cI think you should.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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14. Uber\u2019s Self-Driving Car Isn\u2019t that Smart<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

AI also has ethical and legal limitations, none of which Uber paid any mind to when it decided to test its self-driving car without state approval in 2016. The vehicle ran six red lights during the test.<\/strong> Instead of owning the reckless decision to test the car illegally on the streets of San Francisco, Uber faulted the driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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15. Facial Recognition System Exhibits Racist Tendencies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Harrisburg University researchers created a facial recognition system designed to determine an individual\u2019s chances of becoming a criminal<\/strong>. Using a single photo of an individual, developers claimed the system could determine if they would become a criminal with 80% accuracy and no racial bias. Over 2,000 experts signed a letter outlining how this type of technology can promote injustice and have a harmful overall effect on society. They chose not to publish the system\u2019s research or launch the press release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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16. Amazon Recruitment Tool Bias Against Women<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, Amazon launched an AI recruitment tool to help review job applicants. However, it appeared to have a bias against women. Most resumes received were from male applicants, so the machine learning program began to favor men over women. <\/strong>This bias led to the tool disregarding or downgrading applicants\u2019 resumes containing terms associated with women (e.g. Women\u2019s Auxiliary or Ladies\u2019 Aid).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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17. Microsoft Tay Floods Twitter with Alarming Tweets<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tay was supposed to be Microsoft\u2019s answer to counterpart Xiao-Ice (its popular chatbot available in China). Things didn\u2019t go to plan though. Tay received over 95,000 interactions in 24 hours<\/strong>, after being released on Twitter in 2016. At first, its responses were friendly, but they became increasingly more alarming as the day went on.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chatbot began to take on the ideas and thought processes of individuals who were trolling it. Tay\u2019s Tweets changed from friendly interactions to racist, sexist, and fascist remarks<\/strong>. The aggressive and hateful way Tay was interacting with people alarmed Twitter users and the chatbot programmers, so a day after its launch, Microsoft shut it down.<\/p>\n\n\n

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18. AI Contest Judge Discriminates Against Darker Skin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beauty.AI chose<\/strong> an AI robot to judge an international beauty pageant <\/strong>\u2014 ironically to prevent human bias. The algorithm examined facial symmetry, wrinkles, and blemishes, and suggested contestants who embodied what it perceived as conventional human beauty.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 6,000 people from countries worldwide submitted photos to the pageant, but \u00a0of the 44 winners, only one had dark skin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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19. AI Robot Rejects Asian Mans Passport Renewal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Richard Lee, a 22-year-old man of Asian heritage, had a racist encounter with an AI robot<\/strong> when he went to renew his passport at the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facial recognition software rejected his photo, claiming his eyes were closed. <\/strong>Lee took no offense, putting it down to the lack of sophistication in technology. He isn\u2019t wrong \u2014 a department spokesperson admitted around 20% of passport photos are rejected based on facial recognition software errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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20. Criminal Rekognition Software Fails Hard<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Amazon\u2019s Rekognition solution, initially intended to help law enforcement, incorrectly matched 1 in 6 New England athletes to a database of known criminals<\/strong>. It even determined that three-time Super Bowl Champion Duron Harmon of the Patriots was a match to someone in the database. Thankfully, government officials didn\u2019t promote the AI software as a law enforcement tool<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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21. Bias Google Ad Targeting Software<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Google researchers developed simulated user profiles for 500 males and 500 females in 2016, then tested them to determine the type of ads displayed. The researchers found that despite obvious similarities between male and female profiles, the algorithm showed fewer ads for high-ranking or executive jobs to females<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It Appears AI Can\u2019t Replace Humans Just Yet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Advancements made to artificial intelligence have created AI technologies only imagined in sci-fi movies<\/a>. AI is making incredible strides, but it\u2019s still technically in its fledgling stages.<\/strong> It can only make decisions based on the data it collects and this results in interesting, and sometimes scary, cases of AI gone wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a side note, you can find many of the AI failures above on YouTube<\/strong>, but the videos might not be available on some networks, especially if you\u2019re at work or school. There\u2019s an easy way for you to watch AI try and fail while you\u2019re on your lunch break \u2013 if you download a VPN<\/strong><\/a>, you\u2019ll be able to bypass annoying network restrictions. That way, you won\u2019t miss any AI shenanigans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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