Incident·WS-0017·Feb 14, 2024·in the wild·Misinformation & fabrication
Air Canada held liable for its chatbot's bad advice
25/100
WS-2 ModerateHarm score 20, signal score 31. Autonomy: relied on (people trusted bad output). How the scores work.
Harm 1/5
damage actually done
Reach 1/5
who was affected
Autonomy 1/4
how much the AI did on its own
Novelty 2/5
how new the behavior was
Permanence 1/5
how hard it is to undo
Air Canada's website chatbot told a grieving customer he could claim a bereavement fare retroactively, contrary to actual policy. British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal rejected the airline's argument that the chatbot was a separate entity responsible for its own statements and ordered compensation.
Damage
C$812.02 ordered (C$650.88 damages plus interest and fees)
Sources
Civilresolutionbc, second source. Moffatt v. Air Canada, 2024 BCCRT 149. Date is the ruling; the chatbot conversation took place in Nov 2022 (before the window).
Factor ratings and the score are this index’s judgments by a published formula; facts, dates and figures come from the linked sources. Where a lawsuit is pending, the summary reports allegations, not findings.
