Apple is under renewed pressure to withdraw its controversial AI-powered news summary feature, which has been accused of generating inaccurate and misleading breaking news alerts on its latest iPhones.
The feature, designed to condense and summarize news notifications, has been found to produce entirely false claims on multiple occasions. Critics argue that the technology is unfit for release and risks undermining trust in journalism.
Calls for Action
The BBC, one of the first organizations to flag the issue, raised concerns in December after inaccurate AI-generated alerts misrepresented its reporting. While Apple only formally responded this week, stating it is working to clarify that summaries are AI-generated, calls for more drastic action persist.
Alan Rusbridger, former editor of The Guardian and a member of Meta’s Oversight Board, described the AI tool as “out of control” and urged Apple to remove it entirely. “Trust in news is low enough already without giant American corporations using it as a test product,” Rusbridger said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) echoed these sentiments, with General Secretary Laura Davison stating, “Apple must act swiftly to remove this feature to prevent further public misinformation.” Similar appeals have come from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which warned that generative AI services remain too immature to ensure reliable public information.
High-Profile Errors
Instances of the AI system’s failures have drawn significant attention. A December error falsely claimed a suspect in a criminal case had committed suicide, while another incorrectly announced that Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
In January, the AI tool inaccurately reported that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship before the event had even begun. Other errors have included false summaries of New York Times stories, such as claims about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest and misleading reports about the Capitol riots anniversary.
“These AI-generated summaries contradict and misrepresent the original content, undermining trust in journalism,” the BBC said in a statement.
Apple’s Response
Apple defended the feature, emphasizing that it is optional and currently in beta testing. The company announced plans to release a software update in the coming weeks to clarify when summaries are AI-generated.
“Apple Intelligence features are in beta, and we are continuously improving them based on user feedback,” the company stated. “A forthcoming update will further highlight when notifications are AI summaries, and we encourage users to report concerns.”
The feature, introduced in December, is available on the iPhone 16 series and select iPads and Macs running iOS 18.1 or later.
Broader Concerns About AI Tools
Apple is not the only tech giant grappling with issues surrounding generative AI. Google’s AI-powered search summaries, which debuted last year, faced similar criticism for occasional inaccuracies. A Google spokesperson at the time described the errors as “isolated examples,” emphasizing that the tool generally performed well.
As the debate continues, journalism advocates and technology experts warn that deploying such tools without rigorous safeguards risks compounding misinformation in an already fragmented information landscape.
For now, the future of Apple’s AI news alerts remains uncertain as calls grow for the company to prioritize accuracy and public trust over technological experimentation.
