A common line of argument for AI alignment being an issue is that unaligned AI systems deployed in the real world have already caused harm to people or society.^[1] However, many of the cited examples are disputed – for example, a paper finds no evidence that YouTube's recommendation algorithm radicalizes users, but the study has been criticized for not studying how the algorithm interacts with individual, logged-in users.^[2] What evidence is there that unaligned AI systems cause real-world harm, and how strong/consistent is it?

I know that the Center for Humane Technology has been compiling a Ledger of Harms documenting the various harms allegedly caused by digital technologies, but I'm concerned that it selects for positive results (i.e. results confirming that a technology causes harm).^[3] Ideally, I would like to see a formal meta-analysis that incorporates both positive and negative results.