Angela Lipps, a grandmother from Tennessee, is suing North Dakota officials after she was allegedly arrested at gunpoint and spent nearly six months in jail due to a faulty artificial intelligence facial recognition match used in a bank theft investigation. The lawsuit claims that authorities relied solely on a questionable AI match from a fraudulent ID photo, obtained via Clearview AI, to extradite Lipps from Tennessee to North Dakota, despite her having no connection to the crime. This occurred even though West Fargo police had reportedly declined to pursue charges due to the uncorroborated nature of the AI match, and surveillance footage showed physical differences between Lipps and the actual suspect, including a distinct neck tattoo Lipps possesses that the perpetrator lacked. Detective Lucas Heck allegedly failed to review Lipps’ alibi, financial records, or travel history confirming her presence in Tennessee, and neglected to conduct photo lineups with bank tellers. Lipps was eventually released when prosecutors dismissed all felony charges after she provided proof of her whereabouts, but she lost her home and car during her incarceration. Experts warn this case highlights a growing trend of wrongful arrests fueled by AI misidentifications, with at least a dozen similar incidents documented, often exacerbated by law enforcement’s failure to corroborate AI leads with independent investigation.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
