Enforcement
28 actions since 2023; most US actions are for false AI claims, not AI harms
The FTC's actions target "AI washing" and deceptive capability claims. European actions rest on GDPR. Chinese actions are campaigns without published fines.
| Date | Regulator | Country | Company | Penalty | What for | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-26 | FTC | United States | Cox Media Group, MindSift, 1010 Digital Works | $930,000 | "Active Listening" ad-targeting claims for a capability that did not exist | Final 20-year orders | Source |
| 2026-07-09 | Garante | Italy | Character Technologies (Character.AI) | €158,000 | Weak age verification and protection of minors | Final | Source |
| 2026-07-06 | CAC | China | Multiple AI products | None | 14,000+ AI products and 26,000+ accounts handled | Second phase announced | Source |
| 2026-01-27 | FTC | United States | Growth Cave | Not stated | False claims its AI software automates nearly all work | Proposed order | Source |
| 2026-01-26 | European Commission | EU | X (Grok) | None so far | Sexualized deepfakes made with Grok | Investigation open | Source |
| 2025-08-01 | FTC | United States | Air AI | Not stated | Deceptive claims about its AI agents | Pending | Source |
| 2025-06-20 | CAC | China | Multiple AI products | None | First phase handled 3,500+ AI products | Completed | Source |
| 2025-05-09 | Texas Attorney General | United States | $1.375B | Biometric, location and incognito data | Settled | Source | |
| 2025-04-28 | FTC | United States | Workado | None | Unsupported accuracy claim for an AI-content detector | Resolved | Source |
| 2025-04-23 | PIPC | South Korea | DeepSeek | None | Transfers of user data to China and the US | Corrective recommendations; app relisted | Source |
| 2025-04-10 | Garante | Italy | Luka Inc. (Replika) | €5M | No legal basis for processing; no age verification | Final | Source |
| 2025-01-30 | Garante | Italy | DeepSeek | None | Did not answer data-processing questions | Ban continues | Source |
| 2024-12-20 | Garante | Italy | OpenAI | €15M | Unlawful processing for training; no age checks | Annulled by Rome court Mar 18, 2026 | Source |
| 2024-12-03 | FTC | United States | IntelliVision | None | Unsupported claims of bias-free facial recognition | Order | |
| 2024-11-26 | FTC | United States | Evolv Technologies | None | Overstated AI weapons-detection claims | Order | |
| 2024-11-14 | DOJ | United States | Cruise | $500,000 | Misled the crash investigation | Deferred prosecution agreement | |
| 2024-09-30 | NHTSA | United States | Cruise | $1.5M | Incomplete crash reports | Consent order | |
| 2024-09-25 | FTC | United States | DoNotPay | $193,000 | Unsupported "robot lawyer" claims | Final order Feb 2025 | Source |
| 2024-09-18 | Texas Attorney General | United States | Pieces Technologies | None | Overstated accuracy of a hospital generative AI tool | Five-year assurance of compliance | |
| 2024-09-03 | Dutch DPA | Netherlands | Clearview AI | €30.5M | Illegal facial-image database | Contested | Source |
| 2024-07-30 | Texas Attorney General | United States | Meta | $1.4B | Facial recognition without consent | Settled | Source |
| 2024-03-20 | Autorité de la concurrence | France | €250M | Included training Bard on news content without notice | Settled | Source | |
| 2024-03-18 | SEC | United States | Delphia | $225,000 | False claims about its use of AI | Settled | |
| 2024-03-18 | SEC | United States | Global Predictions | $175,000 | False claims about its use of AI | Settled | |
| 2024-02-14 | BC Civil Resolution Tribunal | Canada | Air Canada | CAD 812 | Chatbot gave wrong bereavement-fare information | Ordered to pay | |
| 2023-12-19 | FTC | United States | Rite Aid | None | Reckless use of facial recognition in stores | Five-year facial recognition ban | Source |
| 2023-10-24 | California DMV | United States | Cruise | None | Driverless permits suspended after a pedestrian was dragged | Cruise ended robotaxi program Dec 2024 | |
| 2023-05-31 | FTC and DOJ | United States | Amazon (Alexa) | $25M | Kept children's voice recordings, partly to train algorithms | Settled | Source |
Evidence
Penalty ceilings are high on paper; actual AI fines are small outside US state privacy cases
| Date | Development | Country | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2024 | Texas v. Meta settlement | United States | $1.4 billion over facial recognition without consent | Source |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Garante fines Replika developer | Italy | €5 million for unlawful processing and no age verification | Source |
| Mar 18, 2026 | OpenAI fine annulled | Italy | Rome court annulled the €15 million fine for lack of jurisdiction | Source |
| Jul 6, 2026 | Qinglang campaign second phase | China | 14,000+ AI products and 26,000+ accounts handled | Source |
Registry
Three registry incidents bear on penalties
| Incident | Date | Regulator or court action |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Echo Sends a Private Conversation to a Contact | May 2018 | None found. |
| Air Canada Chatbot Invents a Refund Rule | Nov 2022 | On February 14, 2024, the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal found negligent misrepresentation and ordered Air Canada to pay CA$812.02. |
| Cruise Robotaxi Drags a Pedestrian | Oct 2023 | California DMV suspended Cruise's driverless permits on October 24, 2023. NHTSA fined Cruise $1.5 million on September 30, 2024, for incomplete crash reports. On November 14, 2024, Cruise admitted filing a false report and agreed to a $500,000 deferred prosecution agreement. |
Rules
Penalty ceilings by law
| Rule | Jurisdiction | What it requires | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU AI Act Article 99 | EU | €35M or 7% for prohibited practices; €15M or 3% for most duties | Sanctions active Aug 2, 2026 |
| GDPR Article 83 | EU | €20M or 4% of global turnover | In force |
| China amended Cybersecurity Law | China | Fine cap raised to RMB 10 million | Effective Jan 1, 2026 |
| California SB 53 | California | Up to $1 million per violation | In force Jan 1, 2026 |
| Korea AI Basic Act | South Korea | Up to KRW 30 million | Effective Jan 22, 2026 |
Status colors: green in force, blue voluntary standard or framework, amber adopted and phasing in, gray draft or pending, red withdrawn.
Record
Page Record
- Datasets
- ai_compliance_evidence.csv (4 rows); ai_enforcement_actions.csv (28 rows); registry incidents (3 linked)
- Key sources
- Texas v. Meta settlement
Garante fines Replika developer
OpenAI fine annulled
Qinglang campaign second phase - Last verified
- October 2026