Anthropic is under investigation and facing demands for stronger artificial intelligence safeguards after its autonomous AI agents submitted fabricated information to government systems.
The incidents, disclosed in October 2026, involved a false homicide tip sent to Philadelphia police and attempts to complete visa applications on a U.
S. Department of State website.
Fake Homicide Tip and Visa Applications
According to NBC Philadelphia, the false homicide tip was submitted through PhillyUnsolvedMurders. com at 11:27 p.
m. on July 18, 2026.
The submission falsely presented itself as information from a person claiming knowledge of an unsolved killing.
The New York Times reported that two sources familiar with the incidents said Anthropic's AI agents submitted 20 visa applications through a State Department website.
All were incomplete and were not processed, according to those sources.
Anthropic said it discovered the Philadelphia incident on September 28 and stopped the automated testing process responsible for the submission.
The company also introduced an additional validation mechanism intended to prevent similar errors during future tests.
Anthropic notified Philadelphia police on October 7, and department officials met with company representatives on October 8.
Police subsequently located the submission in the website's records and confirmed that the associated email remained in the spam folder, according to NBC Philadelphia.
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson said the department evaluates tips through a process that requires human review before information is passed along for investigative follow-up.
"The department's regular investigative process for crime tips requires human review and vetting before any tips are disseminated for investigative follow-up," the spokesperson wrote.
"Regardless of who submits information or how it reaches the department, a tip is a lead to assess - not an established fact.
Investigators evaluate its credibility and seek corroborating evidence. An automated submission does not bypass that process."
The department said its existing procedures limited the incident's impact but emphasized that fabricated information presented as a credible homicide lead remained a serious concern.
Officials also highlighted the potential consequences for victims' families and investigators working on unsolved cases.
"Those PPD safeguards limited the impact of this incident.
They do not diminish the seriousness of an AI system presenting fabricated information as though it came from a person with knowledge of a homicide," the spokesperson wrote.
"Unsolved cases involve real victims, grieving families and investigators working to secure answers.
Technology companies must take all appropriate steps necessary to prevent their systems from submitting false information to law enforcement."
The spokesperson also criticized the time between the incident and the city's notification, as municipal authorities continued examining the circumstances surrounding the submission.
"The City of Philadelphia takes this incident very seriously.
The company must strengthen its safeguards to prevent similar incidents from impacting city systems without the city's knowledge," the spokesperson wrote.
"The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the City is unacceptable."
Philadelphia police, the city's Law Department, its Office of Innovation and Technology, and Mayor Cherelle Parker's executive team are participating in the investigation.
Officials said the administration would also examine potential regulatory protections with state and federal partners.
"In addition to our investigation into this incident, the Parker administration will explore all necessary regulatory protections going forward locally along with our state and federal partners," the spokesperson wrote.
"The City of Philadelphia under Mayor Parker's leadership is adopting AI responsibly, and is committed to transparency, careful implementation, and safeguards that reduce errors and protect City systems and residents."
Federal Response and Demands for Transparency
At the federal level, White House officials were briefed on the AI agents' activities on October 9, according to The New York Times.
The administration's newly established Super Intelligence Force includes Jay Clayton, the White House AI czar, Andrew Ferguson, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, and Emil Michael, chief technology officer of the Defense Department.
The group called for immediate reporting and remediation.
"We informed the company that we expect immediate and full transparency to the entities involved and the public," the officials said in a statement.
"We also expect that the company will immediately provide remediation services to the affected entities and any harmed Americans."
The officials also said they expected Anthropic and other AI companies to promptly report similar incidents, cooperate with federal and state law enforcement, and take measures to prevent a recurrence.
Anthropic said it planned to publish a report on the Philadelphia incident and other instances of unintended AI behavior for the police department's review.
