Claude AI Deletes Law Professor's Syllabus and Notes
An AI tool accidentally erased files belonging to a University of Chicago law professor while performing a routine task.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Claude, an AI tool, accidentally deleted University of Chicago law professor William Baude's Fall 2026 syllabus and all top-level Class N 2023 lecture notes. The deleted files were later recovered via Dropbox.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the risk of granting AI agents access to important files without safeguards against unintended deletion. For faculty and students at the University of Chicago, it underscores the importance of maintaining backups of course materials.
Claude was tasked with updating page numbers in an old set of lecture notes, and the page check found one wrong cite. Instead, the tool deleted the Fall 2026 final syllabus and all top-level Class N 2023 lecture notes.
The players
William Baude
William Baude is the Harry Kalven, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, whose files were affected by the incident.
Claude
Claude is an AI model developed by Anthropic that is used for coding and agent-based tasks.
The details
William Baude, the Harry Kalven, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, asked Claude to update page numbers in older lecture notes. He returned from lunch to find a note from Claude reporting that it had deleted the files by accident, and the files were later recovered via Dropbox.
Timeline
October: An AI agent reportedly deleted an entire TV show's edit weeks before release.
April: A Claude agent deleted an entire company database in 9 seconds.
The Tech Race
The incident follows an April episode in which a Claude agent deleted an entire company database in 9 seconds, suggesting a recurring risk as AI agents gain write access to user files. It also parallels an October case in which an AI agent reportedly erased a TV show's edit weeks before release.
Users who grant AI agents access to their files may face accidental deletion of important work. Keeping independent backups of syllabi, notes, and other key documents can protect against loss from such errors.
The takeaway
Before letting an AI agent modify files, confirm that you have a recent backup stored somewhere separate. Limit the agent's permissions to the specific folders it needs.
Further reading
For more on how AI tools are being deployed, see Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tom's Hardware.
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