Getty ImagesA major journalism organization has urged Apple to abandon its new generative AI feature after publishing a misleading headline about a high-profile murder in the United States.
The BBC filed a complaint to the US tech giant after Apple Intelligence, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to summarize and group notifications, falsely published a headline about murder suspect Luigi Mangione.
The AI-powered summary falsely made it appear that BBC News had published an article claiming that Mangione, the man accused of murdering health insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York, had committed suicide. He didn’t do it.
Now, the Reporters Without Borders group has asked Apple to remove this technology. Apple had no comment.
BBC NewsApple Intelligence launched in the UK last week.
Reporters Without Borders, also known as RSF, said it was “very concerned about the risks that AI tools pose to the media.”
The group said the BBC incident proves that “generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public.”
Vincent Berthier, head of RSF’s Technology and Journalism desk, adds: “AIs are probability machines, and facts cannot be decided by a roll of the dice.
“RSF calls on Apple to act responsibly by removing this functionality. The automated production of false information attributed to a media outlet is a blow to the media’s credibility and a danger to the public’s right to reliable information on current events.”
Apple has made no comment since the story broke last week.
When the bulk notification involving BBC News was published, a BBC spokesperson said the corporation had contacted Apple “to raise this concern and resolve the issue.”
The notice that contained false statements about Mangione was otherwise accurate in its summaries about the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and in an update on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The BBC has not yet confirmed whether Apple has responded to its complaint.
Mangione is now charged with first degree murder in the murder of Mr. Thompson.
Ken SchwenckeThe BBC does not appear to be the only news publisher whose headlines have been distorted by Apple’s new AI technology.
On November 21, three New York Times articles were consolidated into a single notification, part of which read “Netanyahu Arrested,” referring to the Israeli prime minister.
It inaccurately summarized a report that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, rather than any report of his arrest.
The error was highlighted on Bluesky by journalist Ken Schwencke from the American investigative journalism site ProPublica.
Mr Schwencke told BBC News he took the screenshot and confirmed it was real. The New York Times declined to comment.
What is Apple Intelligence notification summary?
As part of the Apple Intelligence rollout, Apple is allowing users to group notifications.
Apple said customers might like this to reduce interruptions caused by ongoing notifications.
It’s only available on select iPhones – those using iOS system version 18.1 or later on recent devices (all iPhone 16 phones, the 15 Pro, and the 15 Pro Max). It is also available on some iPads and Macs.
Bulk notifications are marked with a specific icon and users can report any concerns they have on a notification summary. Apple did not say how many reports it received.
Apple Intelligence doesn’t just summarize editors’ articles, and it has been reported that email and text summaries sometimes I don’t quite reach the goal.
