December 19th, 2024

Apple urged to axe AI feature after false headline

Apple's generative AI feature, Apple Intelligence, faces criticism for producing misleading headlines, prompting complaints from the BBC and calls for removal by Reporters Without Borders due to reliability concerns.

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Apple urged to axe AI feature after false headline

Apple is facing criticism for its new generative AI feature, Apple Intelligence, which has produced misleading headlines. A notable incident involved a false notification regarding Luigi Mangione, a murder suspect, which inaccurately suggested that the BBC reported he had shot himself. This prompted the BBC to lodge a complaint with Apple. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has since called for the removal of the AI feature, citing concerns over its reliability and the potential harm to media credibility. RSF emphasized that generative AI is not yet mature enough to provide accurate information, highlighting the risks of automated misinformation. The BBC confirmed it reached out to Apple to address the issue, but there has been no response from Apple regarding the complaint. Additionally, other news outlets, including the New York Times, have reported similar misleading notifications from Apple Intelligence. The feature, which groups notifications to reduce interruptions, is available on select iPhones and iPads running iOS 18.1 or later. Apple has not disclosed how many reports it has received about inaccuracies in its notifications.

- Apple is urged to remove its generative AI feature due to misleading headlines.

- The BBC and Reporters Without Borders have raised concerns about the reliability of AI-generated news summaries.

- The incident involving Luigi Mangione highlights the risks of misinformation attributed to reputable media outlets.

- Other news organizations have also experienced inaccuracies with Apple's AI notifications.

- Apple has not publicly responded to complaints regarding the feature's performance.

Link Icon 6 comments
By @rsynnott - 5 months
> When the grouped notification involving BBC News emerged, a spokesperson from the BBC said the corporation had contacted Apple "to raise this concern and fix the problem". [...] The BBC has not yet confirmed if Apple has responded to its complaint.

In which the BBC is unsure of what's going on in the BBC (this is entirely _correct_; BBC News shouldn't get any more access to BBC writ large than any other news agency. But it's quite _funny_.)

By @ChrisArchitect - 5 months
Related:

Most iPhone owners see little to no value in Apple Intelligence so far

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42431090

By @adrianomartins - 5 months
I find it a bit misleading that there isn’t a single mention that the feature is currently in beta.

I’m not saying publishers can get away with anything with a simply “beta” label, but it’s an important fact to mention if you’re going to release a whole piece about this…

By @joegibbs - 5 months
One false headline on one small part of the features and they want Apple to scrap the entire thing. Did people want IM to be scrapped the first time someone planned a crime on it?