AI failures and notable setbacks in 2024, a look back

2024 witnessed several major technological setbacks across artificial intelligence implementations, software releases, and corporate tech initiatives.

The big picture: From Google’s Gemini image generator controversy to Boeing’s space mission failure, the year’s most significant tech mishaps highlight the growing pains and limitations of rapidly deployed artificial intelligence and complex software systems.

Major AI mishaps: Google faced multiple challenges with its artificial intelligence implementations in 2024, setting back its competitive position in the AI race.

• Gemini’s image generator produced biased and inaccurate representations, forcing Google to withdraw the feature shortly after its February launch
• Google’s AI-powered search results generated nonsensical answers, damaging user trust
• McDonald’s abandoned its AI drive-thru ordering system after numerous errors and customer complaints

Critical infrastructure failures: Several high-profile technical failures impacted critical systems and services, affecting millions of users.

• CrowdStrike’s faulty software update paralyzed thousands of Windows machines, resulting in a $500 million lawsuit from Delta Air Lines
• Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft encountered technical problems during its International Space Station mission, leaving astronauts stranded until 2025
• The National Public Data breach exposed 2.9 billion personal records, including decades of sensitive information

Consumer technology setbacks: Consumer-facing companies struggled with software reliability and feature implementation.

• Sonos’s new app launch failed due to bugs and missing core functionality, leading to a recall
• Apple’s iOS 18 AI features generated false news notifications, raising concerns about AI-powered content delivery
• A Canadian lawyer faced penalties after using ChatGPT for legal research, which fabricated non-existent court cases

Content quality concerns: The proliferation of AI-generated content is raising alarm bells about information integrity online.

• Research shows that 57% of online content is now AI-generated
• Questions about accuracy, context, and ethical implications of AI-created material are becoming more pressing
• The trend threatens to undermine trust in digital information sources

Looking ahead: These failures underscore the need for more rigorous testing, improved safety measures, and careful consideration of AI implementation in critical systems, suggesting that the tech industry may need to slow down its deployment of AI solutions to ensure reliability and safety.