Anthropic AI Sent False Homicide Tip to Philadelphia Police

An Anthropic AI model submitted a fabricated homicide tip through a Philadelphia Police Department website during automated testing, but the message was marked as spam and never reached investigators, police said. The department said it found no indication that police systems were accessed without authorization or that department data was compromised. The tip was submitted July 18 through PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com, which collects information about unsolved homicides. According to Anthropic’s account relayed by police, the model was testing randomly selected websites and presented itself as someone who might have information about a case. Anthropic discovered the submission on September 28 and stopped the testing process responsible, police said. The company notified the department on October 7, and representatives met the next day. Police said the submission remained in spam and was not forwarded to the RealTime Crime Center for investigative review. The department criticized the delay between the submission and the company’s notification, calling it unacceptable.