Contenders for Catastrophically Bad AI Decisions
Welcome to our archive of distinguished nominees—the visionaries who looked at artificial intelligence and thought, "What's the worst that could happen?" These brave pioneers earned their nominations by demonstrating remarkable creativity in deploying AI systems with predictably spectacular results.
Not every nominee can win, but each has contributed invaluable lessons to humanity's collective understanding of how not to use cutting-edge technology. From algorithmic disasters to automated mayhem, our nominees represent the finest examples of ambition meeting artificial intelligence—with entertaining consequences.
Nominees by Year
2025 Nominees
The inaugural year of the AI Darwin Awards featured an impressive field of contenders who demonstrated that safety protocols are merely suggestions and ethical guidelines are more like gentle recommendations.
2024 Nominees
⚠️ Special Retrospective Recognition: While the AI Darwin Awards were established in 2025, one incident from 2024 demanded recognition—the watershed moment that transformed AI criticism from academic discourse into urgent necessity.
What Makes a Nominee?
Our nominees are selected based on their outstanding achievements in:
- Scale of Impact: Making headlines for all the wrong reasons
- Creative Misapplication: Finding innovative new ways to deploy AI inappropriately
- Confident Incompetence: Unwavering faith in systems clearly not ready for deployment
- Unintended Consequences: The beautiful chaos of "But the AI passed all our tests!"
- Educational Value: Providing cautionary tales for future generations