Home Apple halts AI news summaries due to errors

Apple halts AI news summaries due to errors

tldr

  • Apple paused its AI news summary feature after generating false summaries with major errors.
  • Errors included false claims about Rafael Nadal, Netanyahu, and a murder suspect's actions.
  • Apple plans improvements, including italicized AI summaries, to address accuracy concerns.

Apple has temporarily stopped a news summary feature of Apple Intelligence, the company’s flagship artificial intelligence (AI) service, after several instances of erroneous news summaries being shown to users.

Apple’s decision to suspend the service came after a complaint made by the BBC. Apple’s service had generated a news summary branded with the BBC’s logo which falsely stated that Luigi Mangione (the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson) had shot himself.

This was not the only false news alert generated by Apple’s AI to carry the BBC’s logo. Others included a report that tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay, and one announcing the champion of the PDC World Darts final before the match had taken place.

An Apple spokesperson told the BBC that “notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable” after the next software update. “We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update.” They also confirmed that there would be a formatting change to AI-generated summaries, with any app notifications summarised by AI appearing in italicized text.

Headlines from other news organizations had also been erroneously summarised by Apple’s AI, including a New York Times story that the AI summarised to say that the prime minister of Isreal, Benjamin Netanyahu, had been arrested.

What was Apple Intelligence meant to be doing?

Apple Intelligence was introduced to iPhones in December, promising a whole host of new features.

A key offering was that your iPhone would now summarize long notifications, as well as condense multiple notifications into one short summary.

a screenshot showing one of the erroneous news summaries
Image credit: BBC

This image demonstrates one of the errors made by Apple’s summary-generating AI. In its attempt to summarise several headlines into one condensed notification, it misses nuance and creates incorrect information.

“We’re pleased that Apple has listened to our concerns and is pausing the summarisation feature for news,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“We look forward to working with them constructively on the next steps. Our priority is the accuracy of the news we deliver to audiences which is essential to building and maintaining trust.”

The UK’s National Union of Journalists has also expressed concern that the erroneous summaries pose a threat to journalism and has urged Apple to remove the feature entirely.

Featured image credit: Grok

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech, gambling and blockchain industries for major developments, new product and brand launches, AI breakthroughs, game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to in-house staff writers with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Ali Rees
Tech journalist

Ali Rees is a freelance writer based in the UK. They have worked as a data and analytics consultant, a software tester, and a digital marketing and SEO specialist. They have been a keen gamer and tech enthusiast since their childhood in are currently the Gaming and Tech editor at Brig Newspaper. They also have a Substack where they review short video games. During the pandemic, Ali turned their hand to live streaming and is a fan of Twitch. When not writing, Ali enjoys playing video and board games, live music, and reading. They have two cats and both of…

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.