AI-Assisted Code Changes Cause Major Outages at Amazon

Thumbnail Image

The information displayed in the AIM should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries.

Amazon experienced multiple severe outages in its online store and AWS services due to code changes assisted by generative AI tools. Inadequate review of AI-generated code led to service disruptions affecting millions of users and significant business operations, prompting urgent internal meetings and new safeguards.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

The outages are directly linked to the use and deployment of AI systems (Gen-AI assisted changes and AI coding assistants) that led to service disruptions affecting customers' ability to use Amazon's platform. This constitutes harm to users by disrupting access to critical online retail services, which falls under harm to communities and property (economic harm). Therefore, this qualifies as an AI Incident due to the realized harm caused by AI system use and malfunction.[AI generated]
AI principles
AccountabilityRobustness & digital security
Industries
Consumer servicesIT infrastructure and hosting
Affected stakeholders
ConsumersBusiness
Harm types
Economic/PropertyReputational
Severity
AI incident
Business function:
ICT management and information security
AI system task:
Content generation
In other databases
Open in  AIID Logo

Articles about this incident or hazard