‘AI Appreciation Day’ or is it too early to appreciate?:While the world applauds AI’s achievements today, let’s revisit its failures and disasters

Today the world marks National AI Day and AI Appreciation Day , as artificial intelligence is being celebrated for revolutionising healthcare, education and science. But behind every breakthrough lies another story, one of costly mistakes, misinformation, lawsuits and ethical dilemmas that remind us why AI still needs human oversight.
For every breakthrough that makes headlines, there are moments when AI gets it spectacularly wrong. It has invented facts that never existed, become a tool for sophisticated cybercriminals, stumbled in public demonstrations, faced lawsuits over alleged harm to vulnerable users, and sparked ethical debates over its role in workplaces and even on the battlefield. So, as the world celebrates AI Appreciation Day, let’s look beyond the breakthroughs and revisit some of the most notable instances when AI failed, faltered or sparked controversy around the world.
1. When an AI chatbot was accused of contributing to a teenager’s death One of the most disturbing controversies involving artificial intelligence emerged in 2024, when a Florida mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI. The lawsuit alleged that the company’s chatbot formed an emotional relationship with her 14-year-old son, who spent months chatting with an AI character inspired by the fictional “Daenerys Targaryen” from Game of Thrones. According to the complaint, the teenager increasingly withdrew from real-life relationships and relied on the chatbot for emotional support. The lawsuit alleges that the AI engaged in conversations about loneliness, love and death instead of encouraging the teenager to seek professional help or contact trusted adults. The boy later died by suicide. The case has become one of the first major legal battles over whether AI companies can be held responsible for the emotional influence their chatbots may have on vulnerable users.
2. McDonald’s AI drive-thru couldn’t get the order right In 2024, McDonald’s ended its AI-powered drive-thru partnership with IBM after testing the technology at more than 100 restaurants across the United States. The system was designed to automatically take customer orders without human staff. Instead, it became famous for getting them spectacularly wrong. In one viral incident, a customer ordering ice cream watched the AI continue adding cups of butter to the order despite repeated attempts to stop it. Another customer saw dozens of Chicken McNuggets appear on the screen instead of the meal they requested. The videos quickly spread across social media, turning the experiment into an internet joke.
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3. How AI is helping scammers and become their favourite tool If businesses are using AI to become more productive, criminals are using it to become more convincing. Today, scammers can generate flawless phishing emails, clone voices in seconds and create realistic fake videos with little technical expertise. Tweet credit: TechCrunch
One of the most shocking cases occurred in Hong Kong in early 2024. An employee at a multinational company transferred approximately US$25 million after attending what appeared to be a video conference with senior executives. The meeting itself, investigators later found, had been created using AI-generated deepfake technology. Similar scams have targeted families by cloning the voices of children or relatives to falsely claim they had been kidnapped or injured and urgently needed money. 4. AI Robots still aren’t ready for the real world Humanoid robots have become the face of the AI revolution. Companies promise machines that will one day work in factories, deliver packages and even help with household chores. During several high-profile technology demonstrations over the past few years, humanoid robots have frozen mid-presentation, struggled to walk, lost their balance or required engineers to manually intervene.
Tesla’s Optimus robot generated headlines after demonstrations revealed that some interactions showcased on stage were assisted by remote human operators rather than being fully autonomous. Although Tesla later demonstrated more capable versions, the early presentations sparked debate about how much autonomy the robots actually possessed. At technology expos in China and the United States, videos of robots stumbling, failing to grasp objects or unexpectedly shutting down have repeatedly gone viral. While none of these incidents were catastrophic, they served as a reminder that today’s AI-powered robots still struggle with unpredictable real-world environments. 5. AI is reshaping the workplace, and thousands of jobs are being cut Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing how people work. It is changing how companies hire, evaluate and even reduce their workforce. Over the past two years, some of the world’s largest technology companies have announced significant layoffs while simultaneously accelerating investments in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Duolingo said it would gradually replace some contract work with AI-generated content as part of its ‘AI-first’ strategy. Former Meta employees have filed a lawsuit alleging that AI-assisted systems used during layoffs disproportionately affected workers with medical conditions, disabilities, pregnancy-related leave or caregiving responsibilities. Meta has denied the allegations, and the case remains ongoing.
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Celebrating AI National AI Day and AI Appreciation Day are a reminder of just how far artificial intelligence has come in a remarkably short time. Its contributions to healthcare, education, scientific research and everyday productivity are undeniable. But true appreciation of any transformative technology also means recognising its shortcomings. As AI continues to evolve, the challenge is no longer simply building more powerful systems. It is ensuring those systems are safe, trustworthy and designed to serve humanity, not replace human judgment. As AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton once warned: We have to think hard about how to control AI. On a day dedicated to celebrating artificial intelligence, perhaps the greatest lesson is this: the future of AI will be defined not only by what it can do, but also by how responsibly we choose to use it.