Journalism Group Urges Apple to Discontinue AI Feature After False Headline Incident

A prominent journalism organization has called on Apple to discontinue its recently introduced generative artificial intelligence (AI) feature, following an incident where it generated an inaccurate headline concerning a notable homicide in the United States. The BBC lodged a formal complaint with the American technology company after Apple Intelligence, a system that employs artificial intelligence (AI) to summarize and consolidate notifications, erroneously produced a headline related to murder suspect Luigi Mangione. The AI-generated summary incorrectly suggested that BBC News had published content asserting that Mangione, who is accused of murdering healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York, had committed suicide by shooting himself. This claim is untrue. Subsequently, Reporters Without Borders, also known as RSF, has urged Apple to eliminate the technology. Apple has not issued a statement. Apple Intelligence debuted in the UK during the previous week. RSF expressed that it was “very concerned by the risks posed to media outlets” by AI tools. The organization stated that the BBC incident demonstrates that “generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public.” Vincent Berthier, who leads RSF’s technology and journalism desk, further commented: “AIs are probability machines, and facts can’t be decided by a roll of the dice.” He added, “RSF calls on Apple to act responsibly by removing this feature. The automated production of false information attributed to a media outlet is a blow to the outlet’s credibility and a danger to the public’s right to reliable information on current affairs.” Apple has maintained its silence since the news emerged last week. Upon the appearance of the consolidated notification involving BBC News, a BBC spokesperson confirmed that the broadcaster had reached out to Apple “to raise this concern and fix the problem.” The notification, despite its erroneous assertion regarding Mangione, accurately summarized information concerning the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and an update on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The BBC has not yet verified whether Apple has provided a response to its complaint. Mangione has subsequently been indicted on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with Mr. Thompson’s death. The BBC does not seem to be the sole news publisher whose headlines have been inaccurately portrayed by Apple’s new AI technology. On November 21, three articles from The New York Times were combined into a single notification, which included a segment stating “Netanyahu arrested,” referencing the Israeli prime minister. This summary incorrectly condensed a report regarding the International Criminal Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, instead of any actual reporting about his arrest. The error was brought to attention on Bluesky by Ken Schwencke, a journalist associated with the U.S. investigative journalism website ProPublica. Mr. Schwencke informed BBC News that he captured the screenshot and verified its authenticity. The New York Times has chosen not to comment. As part of the deployment of Apple Intelligence, Apple enables users to consolidate notifications. Apple stated that this feature could appeal to customers by helping to minimize disruptions from continuous notifications. The feature is exclusively accessible on specific iPhone models—those operating on iOS 18.1 or a more recent system version on newer devices (including all iPhone 16 phones, the 15 Pro, and the 15 Pro Max). It is also compatible with select iPads and Macs. Consolidated notifications are identified by a distinct icon, and users have the option to report any issues they encounter with a notification summary. Apple has not disclosed the number of reports it has received. Apple Intelligence’s functionality extends beyond summarizing publisher articles; reports indicate that its summaries of emails and text messages have, at times, been inaccurate. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Details regarding our approach to external linking are available.