AI Darwin Awards Honouring Those Who Asked "Can We?" Without Ever Asking "Should We?" --- What Are the AI Darwin Awards? Inspired by the original Darwin Awards, which celebrated spectacularly foolish human mistakes that "improved the gene pool," the AI Darwin Awards shift focus to the realm of artificial intelligence. These awards highlight individuals and organizations who recklessly embraced AI technologies without sufficient safety testing, turning human folly into a digital and scaled phenomenon with potential global repercussions. The awards mockingly commemorate the bold visionaries who prioritized venture capital over caution, reminding us that natural selection now applies to the digital age—and humanity itself. --- Nomination Criteria To nominate someone for an AI Darwin Award, the nominee must demonstrate an extraordinary disregard for obvious risks: AI Involvement Required: Must feature cutting-edge AI or something presented as "AI" in investor pitches. Catastrophic Potential: The decision should be extremely short-sighted and poised to become a cautionary tale for future generations (if any remain). Hubris Bonus: Extra credit for attitudes like “What’s the worst that could happen?” or “The AI knows what it’s doing!” Ethical Blind Spots: Total dismissal of warnings from ethicists, safety experts, and concerned insiders. Scale of Ambition: Preference for nominees whose actions endangered not just themselves but potentially the entire species or civilization. --- Winning Criteria Judged by a panel of experts (and sometimes rogue AIs), winners are evaluated based on: Measurable Impact: High marks if the AI failure made headlines, caused market crashes, or inspired new laws. Creative Destruction: Innovative or original methods of causing AI-related risk are preferred over clichéd scenarios. Viral Stupidity: Impact amplified if the blunder became a meme, heavily analyzed, or caused visible distress among AI safety communities. Unintended Consequences: The best incidents involve surprises—claims like “The AI was supposed to help!” are celebrated. Doubling Down: Extra points if the responsible parties responded to failure by deploying more AI. Winners are selected through democratic public voting, expert analysis, and occasionally by AI adjudicators themselves. --- 2025 Nominees This year’s nominees represent the pinnacle of AI misadventure, showcasing reckless decisions and ambitious mishaps: Discover the full list and detailed stories of 2025 contenders: View the 2025 Nominees. --- FAQ Have questions about verification processes, nomination rules, or eligibility? Find answers to all your curiosities here: FAQ. --- Get Involved Witnessed flagrant AI safety negligence? Seen executives or startups treat AI testing like an afterthought? Help document these cases to create future cautionary tales. Submit your nomination: Nominate here. Your input helps preserve lessons to prevent catastrophes. Disclaimer: By submitting, you acknowledge that learning from these mistakes might be crucial for humanity’s survival. --- Footer AI Darwin Awards Because Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Always Intelligent © 2025 AI Darwin Awards. No humans or robots were harmed (yet) in the making of this website.