Apple has temporarily suspended its newly introduced artificial intelligence (AI) news feature after it repeatedly sent users error-filled summaries of news headlines, sparking backlash from media organisations and press freedom groups.
The Apple feature was rolled out to owners of the iPhone 16, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max handsets and on some iPads and Macs.
The tech giant had been facing mounting media pressure to halt the service, which sent incorrect notifications that seemed to come from within news organisations' apps.
Major Errors that Sparked Complaints
In December, a news alert branded with the (British Broadcasting Corporation) BBC’s logo notified some IOS users that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer, Brian Thompson, had shot himself. The notified news was completely false as Mangione is alive and is held at a prison in Brooklyn.
A few weeks later, Apple’s AI system wrongly summarised BBC app notifications and generated false news alerts claiming that Nadal had come out as gay. Another news alert was that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship even before the competition began.
Apart from BBC, the AI feature also wrongly summarised a New York Times headline by saying that Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.
BBC’s Response
The BBC had complained to Apple after the tech firm's new iPhone feature generated the false headline about a high-profile murder in the United States.
The media organisation in a statement clarified that the AI summarisations by Apple do not reflect and in some cases completely contradict the original BBC content. They urged Apple to urgently address these issues remarking that the accuracy of their news is essential in maintaining trust.
"It is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications", the BBC said.
Apple’s Resolution
Following the complaint, Apple responded by saying that the Apple Intelligence features are in the beta phase and the company is constantly making improvements with the help of user feedback.
The tech giant further said that their coming update will address the issues caused by the new AI feature. It added that in the coming weeks, it will roll out a software update that will clarify AI-generated content when alerts are sent to the users.
Press Groups Dissatisfied
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), one of the world’s largest unions representing news industry staff, did not find Apple’s resolution to the issue enough.
The union said that the company must immediately remove the feature from function to avoid the spread of misinformation online and avoid further damage to journalism. It added that a system update would not go far and the public must not be placed in a position of second-guessing the accuracy of news they receive.
Reporters Without Borders, a media non-profit organisation, said that adding a disclaimer that the content is AI-generated did not fix the issue but rather shifted the responsibility to users, who would be expected to check if the information was true or not.
The organisation appreciated Apple’s acknowledgment of its feature needing improvement. However, proposing an update as a resolution implies that making the feature more trustworthy is not currently an option for them, the organisation said.
The Outcome
A combined pressure from the media outlets, press groups and users forced the company to pull back the feature.
"We are working on improvements” and will make the feature available in a “future software update," an Apple spokesperson said.
