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Incident 35: Employee Automatically Terminated by Computer Program

Description: An employee was laid off, allegedly by an artificially intelligent personnel system, and blocked from access to the building and computer systems without their knowledge.

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Entities

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Alleged: unknown developed and deployed an AI system, which harmed Ibrahim Diallo.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
35
Report Count
20
Incident Date
2014-10-18
Editors
Sean McGregor
Applied Taxonomies
CSETv0, CSETv1, GMF, MIT

CSETv0 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Public Sector Deployment

"Yes" if the AI system(s) involved in the accident were being used by the public sector or for the administration of public goods (for example, public transportation). "No" if the system(s) were being used in the private sector or for commercial purposes (for example, a ride-sharing company), on the other.
 

No

Lives Lost

Were human lives lost as a result of the incident?
 

No

Intent

Was the incident an accident, intentional, or is the intent unclear?
 

Unclear

Near Miss

Was harm caused, or was it a near miss?
 

Harm caused

Ending Date

The date the incident ended.
 

2018-07-01T07:00:00.000Z

Beginning Date

The date the incident began.
 

2018-07-01T07:00:00.000Z

CSETv1 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Incident Number

The number of the incident in the AI Incident Database.
 

35

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

7.3. Lack of capability or robustness

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. AI system safety, failures, and limitations

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

+1
This man was fired by a computer - better AI could have saved him
+12
The Machine Fired Me
+4
Man 'fired' by machine shows downside of over-automation
Sacked by AI, tech worker found humans could do nothing
This man was fired by a computer - better AI could have saved him

This man was fired by a computer - better AI could have saved him

independent.co.uk

The Machine Fired Me

The Machine Fired Me

idiallo.com

The Man Who Was Fired By a Machine

The Man Who Was Fired By a Machine

tech.slashdot.org

The man who was fired by a machine

The man who was fired by a machine

bbc.com

Fired by an algorithm, and no one can figure out why

Fired by an algorithm, and no one can figure out why

boingboing.net

A Machine Fired An Employee, And No One Could Do Anything About It

A Machine Fired An Employee, And No One Could Do Anything About It

androidheadlines.com

'I was fired by a machine and my bosses couldn't stop it'

'I was fired by a machine and my bosses couldn't stop it'

businesscloud.co.uk

California man 'sacked by a machine' as bosses stand by helplessly

California man 'sacked by a machine' as bosses stand by helplessly

nzherald.co.nz

Software engineer fired, shut out of office for three weeks by machine

Software engineer fired, shut out of office for three weeks by machine

theregister.co.uk

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine

kfm.co.za

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine

947.co.za

This Man Was Fired By a Machine. The Humans Were Powerless to Do Anything. Here's Why the Machine Should Be Admired

This Man Was Fired By a Machine. The Humans Were Powerless to Do Anything. Here's Why the Machine Should Be Admired

inc.com

Ibrahim Diallo: The man who got fired by a machine

Ibrahim Diallo: The man who got fired by a machine

in.finance.yahoo.com

A man’s story about being fired by a machine

A man’s story about being fired by a machine

hrmonline.com.au

Man 'fired' by machine shows downside of over-automation

Man 'fired' by machine shows downside of over-automation

hrtechnologynews.com

This employee was fired by a machine and there's nothing his manager could do about it

This employee was fired by a machine and there's nothing his manager could do about it

indiatoday.in

Software developer gets fired by a machine

Software developer gets fired by a machine

techworm.net

A robot didn't take Ibrahim's job, but it did fire him

A robot didn't take Ibrahim's job, but it did fire him

abc.net.au

The Machine That Hires Me

The Machine That Hires Me

danrl.com

Sacked by AI, tech worker found humans could do nothing

Sacked by AI, tech worker found humans could do nothing

itwire.com

This man was fired by a computer - better AI could have saved him
independent.co.uk · 2014

Ibrahim Diallo was allegedly fired by a machine. Recent news reports relayed the escalating frustration he felt as his security pass stopped working, his computer system login was disabled, and finally he was frogmarched from the building b…

The Machine Fired Me
idiallo.com · 2018

It was 7am when my phone rang. Instead of an alarm, it was my recruiter disturbing me from a pleasant dream. It was too early for a phone call or to be caught off guard, so I did not answer. I went to take a shower and get ready for the day…

The Man Who Was Fired By a Machine
tech.slashdot.org · 2018

"It wasn't the first time my key card failed, I assumed it was time to replace it." So began a sequence of events that saw Ibrahim Diallo fired from his job , not by his manager but by a machine. From a report:And that was just the beginnin…

The man who was fired by a machine
bbc.com · 2018

Image copyright Ibrahim Diallo Image caption Ibrahim Diallo found himself jobless for three weeks with no idea why

"It wasn't the first time my key card failed, I assumed it was time to replace it."

So began a sequence of events that saw Ib…

Fired by an algorithm, and no one can figure out why
boingboing.net · 2018

Fired by an algorithm, and no one can figure out why

Ibrahim Diallo was eight months into a three year contract with a big company when its systems abruptly decided that he was fired: first it told his recruiter that he'd been let go, then …

A Machine Fired An Employee, And No One Could Do Anything About It
androidheadlines.com · 2018

Automation can be a boon for a company, but it can also be a serious liability, as one Ibrahim Diallo could easily tell you after his ordeal of being unceremoniously and unstoppably canned by the system while managers and even the company d…

'I was fired by a machine and my bosses couldn't stop it'
businesscloud.co.uk · 2018

A California software developer has published a viral blog post recounting his experience of being fired by a machine – and how his bosses were powerless to stop it.

Ibrahim Diallo had been working at a Los Angeles company for just eight mo…

California man 'sacked by a machine' as bosses stand by helplessly
nzherald.co.nz · 2018

Not content with taking our jobs, the machines have already started firing people.

A California software developer has revealed how he was sacked from his job by a "machine out for blood", and even his managers were powerless to stop it.

In…

Software engineer fired, shut out of office for three weeks by machine
theregister.co.uk · 2018

It was only a matter of time before the machines started fighting back. And let's be honest, we all knew the software engineers would be the first to fall.

And so it was that Ibrahim Diallo, in California, USA, found himself fired from his …

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine
kfm.co.za · 2018

Imagine being fired by technology. Is your job on the line with the increasing rise of technology?

A California software developer, Ibrahim Diallo, has revealed how he was sacked from his job by a “machine out for blood” and even his manage…

Technobyte: A man who got fired by a machine
947.co.za · 2018

293 days ago

Imagine being fired by technology. Is your job on the line with the increasing rise of technology?

A California software developer, Ibrahim Diallo, has revealed how he was sacked from his job by a “machine out for blood” and ev…

This Man Was Fired By a Machine. The Humans Were Powerless to Do Anything. Here's Why the Machine Should Be Admired
inc.com · 2018

Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

You've surely had the experience.

You're sitting opposite a boss whom you don't respect -- who is, frankly, incompetent -- and they say…

Ibrahim Diallo: The man who got fired by a machine
in.finance.yahoo.com · 2018

Ibrahim Diallo: The man who got fired by a machine More

25 Jun 2018: Ibrahim Diallo: The man who got fired by a machine

Machines are not only just taking our jobs, but it seems like they've started sacking people too.

Ibrahim Diallo, a soft…

A man’s story about being fired by a machine
hrmonline.com.au · 2018

Ibrahim Diallo’s story is a cautionary tale about taking the ‘human’ out of human resources.

We’re often told not to fear automation. The robots are here to make our lives easier, not to run us out of a job. With their help, we are told, we…

Man 'fired' by machine shows downside of over-automation
hrtechnologynews.com · 2018

You love your job. You do well on your projects. You get along with your co-workers.

Now, imagine coming to work one morning to discover you no longer have access to the premises, and have been logged out of every system you rely on for wor…

This employee was fired by a machine and there's nothing his manager could do about it
indiatoday.in · 2018

'The Machine Fired Me' -- a blog post by Ibrahim Diallo speaks of exactly what it is titled. Diallo was literally fired by a machine one fine day. He realised it after his security pass stopped working, his computer system login was disable…

Software developer gets fired by a machine
techworm.net · 2018

A real AI could have saved this man from being fired by a computer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming more common in industries such as banks, insurance companies, wealth management firms, factories, ecommerce, retail firms, train st…

A robot didn't take Ibrahim's job, but it did fire him
abc.net.au · 2018

Software developer Ibrahim Diallo found out the hard way that he'd been fired.

He turned up to work one day and his login failed. His account returned an 'inactive' message. The recruiter who'd landed him the job called to ask if he was OK.…

The Machine That Hires Me
danrl.com · 2018

Have you ever read Ibrahim Diallo’s famous, scary, and funny blog post The Machine Fired Me? Ibrahim, working as a software developer, accidentally got fired. Thanks to a fully automated business process his key card, used for physical acce…

Sacked by AI, tech worker found humans could do nothing
itwire.com · 2019

A tech worker in the US lost his job due to the company's automated systems removing him from the rolls eight months into a three-year contract because his manager did not update his contract terms.

It appears to be one of the first cases o…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

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