Apple is promising a software update that will better signpost AI-generated content after a backlash over inaccurate and confusing content.
Apple Intelligence, which rolled out in October with the iOS 18.1 launch, is the company’s suite of AI tools. It includes AI-powered notifications, summaries of web pages and voice notes as well as an AI-reboot of Siri, and integrations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
It is the summaries, though, that have hit the headlines with accusations that they are wildly inaccurate sometimes to the point of misrepresentation – even prompting a complaint from the BBC.
Apple Promises AI News Clarification
The update promised will mean that users will know if a summary is AI-generated, which might encourage a level of caution. This is, however, dependent on users knowing how AI works and that it can be inaccurate.
“A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.
It added: “Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback.”
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Apple AI Feature “Out of Control”
One AI-generated summary prompted the BBC to contact Apple concerned about the level of inaccuracy. A breaking news summary of a BBC piece claimed that Luigi Mangione, who is the person charged with the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. The news organization immediately flagged the summary and demanded action, but claims it has waited weeks for a response.
“These AI summarizations by Apple do not reflect – and in some cases completely contradict – the original BBC content,” the BBC said in a statement. “It is critical that Apple urgently addresses these issues as the accuracy of our news is essential in maintaining trust.”
The BBC adds that there have been other inaccuracies including the announcement of the winner of the PDC World Darts Championships before the competition had actually started and a summary that stated that Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
The broadcaster also points out that other news outlets have been impacted, including the New York Times with a false summary suggesting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.
Will Apple’s Update up the Accuracy?
The update is unlikely to impact the accuracy of the summaries – that is down to the training of the LLMs powering them – and as ArsTechnica points out, the errors will never get to zero.
What Apple is giving is a promise that the AI-generated summaries will be better flagged. There is an icon on these summaries already but it may not be noticed by many users.
As such, the update might not be enough to satisfy concerned parties who claim that the tech is simply not ready for widespread use. These include the former editor of The Guardian newspaper, Alan Rusbridger, who stated bluntly that Apple Intelligence was “clearly not ready”. He told the Today programme, on BBC Radio Four: “Trust in news is low enough already without giant American corporations coming in and using it as a kind of test product.”
This plays into accusations that Apple has rushed its Apple Intelligence roll-out as it was behind in the race. As such, it is now asking for patience despite inaccuracies that could potentially be damaging for news outlets and misleading for Apple users.
