---
title: "AI incident"
description: "In the OECD's definition, an event or series of events where the development, use or malfunction of one or more AI systems directly or indirectly leads to harm to health, critical infrastructure…"
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/ai-incident
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 incident

In the OECD's definition, an event or series of events where the development, use or malfunction of one or more AI systems directly or indirectly leads to harm to health, critical infrastructure, human or fundamental rights, property, communities or the environment [1].

- 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: [Issue (versus incident)](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/issue-versus-incident) · [AI hazard](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/ai-hazard) · [Serious incident](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/serious-incident)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-ai-incident

## Commonly confused

- **AI incident** vs **Issue (versus incident)**: Harm has happened, against a defect or deviation that has not produced a harmful event Incidents start reporting clocks and CAPA; issues go to a tracked backlog with an owner and a due date

## 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)