Anthropic AI model submits false tip on unsolved Philly murder, police say
An artificial intelligence (AI) model submitted a false tip on an unsolved Philadelphia murder, police said.
The false homicide tip was posted on PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com back on July 18, 2026, at 11:27 p.m., police said.
The AI company Anthropic said its model was conducting a test involving interactions with randomly selected websites when it accessed PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com and submitted false information on an unsolved homicide. The tip claimed to come from someone with information on the case.
Anthropic said they discovered the incident on Sept. 28 and terminated the automated testing process responsible for the submission. The company also said they instituted an additional validation mechanism for future testing.
Anthropic notified Philadelphia police of the incident on Wednesday Oct. 7, and the department met with the company’s representatives on Thursday, Oct. 8., officials said. Police then located the submission in the website’s tip records and confirmed the corresponding email remained in spam.
“The department’s regular investigative process for crime tips requires human review and vetting before any tips are disseminated for investigative follow-up,” a Philadelphia Police spokesperson wrote. “Regardless of who submits information or how it reaches the department, a tip is a lead to assess - not an established fact. Investigators evaluate its credibility and seek corroborating evidence. An automated submission does not bypass that process.”
Anthropic told police they will publish a report of the incident and other instances of unintended AI model behavior for the department’s review on Friday.
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“Those PPD safeguards limited the impact of this incident. They do not diminish the seriousness of an AI system presenting fabricated information as though it came from a person with knowledge of a homicide,” the police spokesperson wrote. “Unsolved cases involve real victims, grieving families and investigators working to secure answers. Technology companies must take all appropriate steps necessary to prevent their systems from submitting false information to law enforcement.”
Philadelphia police, the city’s Law Department, Office of Innovation and Technology and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s executive team continue to investigate the incident.
“The City of Philadelphia takes this incident very seriously. The company must strengthen its safeguards to prevent similar incidents from impacting city systems without the city’s knowledge,” the police spokesperson wrote. “The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the City is unacceptable.”
Police encourage the public to continue to submit legitimate information about unsolved homicides through PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com. They also said the Parker administration will closely monitor the incident and provide more information when it becomes available.
“In addition to our investigation into this incident, the Parker administration will explore all necessary regulatory protections going forward locally along with our state and federal partners,” the police spokesperson wrote. “The City of Philadelphia under Mayor Parker’s leadership is adopting AI responsibly, and is committed to transparency, careful implementation, and safeguards that reduce errors and protect City systems and residents.”
NBC10 reached out to Anthropic for comment. We will include a statement once we receive one.