iPhone AI news alerts stop after error

Apple has suspended a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that drew criticism and complaints for repeatedly making mistakes in summarizing news headlines.

The tech giant was facing growing pressure to pull its services that sent notifications that appeared to be sent from within news organizations’ apps.

“We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update,” an Apple spokesperson said.

Journalism organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it showed the dangers of rushing new features.

“Innovation must never come at the expense of the public’s right to reliable information,” the statement said.

RSF’s Vincent Berthier added: “This feature should not be rolled out again until there is zero risk of inaccurate headlines.”

The BBC also complained about the feature after an alert generated by Apple’s AI incorrectly told some readers that Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. It was one of the organizations that filed the complaint.

Journalists and others on social media reported that the feature also inaccurately summarized headlines from Sky News, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

“It’s critical[for tech companies]to be the first to release new features,” said Jonathan Bright, head of AI for public services at the Alan Turing Institute.

Hallucinations where AI models make things up is a “real concern,” he added, “and beyond human oversight, companies have yet to figure out how to systematically ensure that AI models never hallucinate.” I don’t have it.

“Such illusions not only misinform the public, but can further erode trust in the press,” he said.

News organizations and news groups have urged the company to back down, warning that the feature is not ready and that AI-generated errors are increasing the problem of misinformation and reducing trust in news. was.

The BBC complained to Apple in December, but received no response until January, when it promised a software update to clarify the role of AI in summarizing. Summaries are optional and available only to readers with the latest iPhones.

That prompted further criticism that the tech giants weren’t doing enough.

Apple has now decided to completely disable this feature for news and entertainment apps.

“With the latest beta software releases for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, notification summaries in the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable,” an Apple spokesperson said.

For other apps, a summary of AI-generated app alerts will be displayed in italic text, the company said.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Apple has listened to our concerns and has suspended the news summarization feature.”

“We look forward to working together constructively on the next steps. Our priority is the accuracy of the news we deliver to our viewers, which is essential to building and maintaining trust.”

Apple is generally stubborn about its products and often doesn’t even respond to criticism.

This simple statement from the tech giant speaks volumes about how harmful the errors caused by the company’s much-touted new AI capabilities can actually be.

Not only did they inadvertently spread misinformation by producing inaccurate summaries of news stories, but by displaying false headlines next to their logos, they were able to protect the lives of news organizations like the BBC, whose credibility is their lifeblood. It was damaging my reputation.

Not a good look for a newly launched service.

AI developers have always said the technology is prone to “illusions” (hoaxes), and AI chatbots come with a disclaimer that says you should double-check the information you provide.

However, AI-generated content is becoming increasingly prominent, such as appearing in summaries at the top of search engines, which in itself means it can be trusted.

Even Apple has publicly proven that this is still not the case, despite having to invest financial and professional resources into developing this technology.

It’s also interesting to note that the latest error, which preceded Apple’s change in plans, was an AI-generated summary of what was in the Washington Post, as reported by technology columnist Jeffrey A. Fowler.

The news organization is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a man well known to Apple president Tim Cook.