
Apple has suspended its AI-driven news alert feature after facing backlash over inaccurate and misleading headlines, raising concerns about the reliability of artificial intelligence in journalism.
Is this the beginning of the end for AI?
At a Glance
- Apple halted its AI-generated news summaries due to accuracy issues
- The feature produced misleading headlines that resembled regular push notifications
- Major news outlets, including the BBC, complained about false information
- Press freedom groups criticized the feature for potentially eroding trust in journalism
- Apple plans to improve the AI feature before re-enabling it in a future update
Apple Faces Criticism for AI-Generated News Alerts
In a rare public acknowledgment of errors, Apple has temporarily suspended its artificial intelligence-powered news alert summary feature. The decision came after numerous complaints from major news organizations and press freedom groups about the accuracy and reliability of the AI-generated headlines.
The AI feature, which was designed to summarize news notifications, often produced misleading or false summaries that closely resembled regular push notifications from reputable news sources. This led to confusion among users and raised concerns about the spread of misinformation.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was among the prominent news organizations that raised alarms about the AI-generated summaries. In one instance, the AI feature produced a false headline about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting swift action from the BBC.
A BBC spokesperson said that it “is critical that Apple urgently addresses these issues as the accuracy of our news is essential in maintaining trust.”
“These AI summarizations by Apple do not reflect — and in some cases completely contradict — the original BBC content,” the spokesperson added.
The Washington Post also experienced issues with the AI summaries. Geoffrey Fowler, a technology columnist for the Post, expressed his frustration, stating, “This is my periodic rant that Apple Intelligence is so bad that today it got every fact wrong in its AI summary of Washington Post news alerts. It’s wildly irresponsible that Apple doesn’t turn off summaries for news apps until it gets a bit better at this AI thing.”
The controversy surrounding Apple’s AI-generated news summaries has drawn criticism from press freedom organizations. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the National Union of Journalists called for the removal of the AI-powered summaries, emphasizing the potential damage to public trust in journalism.
In response to the mounting criticism, Apple has released a beta software update to disable the AI feature for news and entertainment headlines. The company has also committed to improving the technology before reintroducing it in a future update.
“We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update,” an Apple spokesperson announced, acknowledging the need for refinement.
The BBC expressed satisfaction with Apple’s decision, stating, “We’re pleased that Apple has listened to our concerns and is pausing the summarizing feature for news.” This move by Apple represents a significant step in addressing the concerns raised by news organizations and underscores the importance of accuracy in news delivery.
Why can’t we just do things the old fashioned way?