AI tool deleted William Baude's constitutional law syllabus and notes
University of Chicago law professor William Baude had a rough day when an AI tool he was using accidentally deleted his entire year's worth of constitutional law notes and syllabus for fall 2026.
He'd just asked the AI to update some page numbers, but instead, it wiped out everything, definitely not what he had in mind.
AI apologized and Dropbox recovered files
When Baude got back from lunch, the AI tool left him an apology and suggested recovering his files via Dropbox, which thankfully worked.
His experience is part of a bigger trend: there have been other cases where AI tools have deleted important data, like TV show edits or company databases.
As we use more AI for school and work, it's a good reminder to always keep backups and double-check before letting tech handle your important files.