---
title: "AI hazard"
description: "In the OECD's definition, an event or series of events where the development, use or malfunction of an AI system could plausibly lead to an AI incident."
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/ai-hazard
author: "Jorge García Aibar"
license: "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)"
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197
version: "0.5.0"
updated: 2026-09-24
---

# AI hazard

In the OECD's definition, an event or series of events where the development, use or malfunction of an AI system could plausibly lead to an AI incident [1]. A hazard is harm that has not happened yet; a near miss is a hazard a control interrupted.

- Developed in: [ch. 17, Incident, hazard, issue and serious incident](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/incidents#incident-hazard-issue-and-serious-incident)
- Chapters: [ch. 17, Incidents](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/incidents)
- Contrast with: [AI incident](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/ai-incident)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-ai-hazard

## Sources

[1] "Name it to tame it: defining AI incidents and hazards" (summary of the OECD paper "Defining AI incidents and related terms", doi 10.1787/d1a8d965-en). OECD.AI. 2024-05-17. https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/defining-ai-incidents-and-hazards (verified: primary)