Apple Suspends AI-Powered News Summaries in iOS 18 Beta

Recently, Apple has decided to suspend the use of its AI-powered news summaries, known as Apple Intelligence, in the latest beta version of iOS 18. Specifically, this change is reflected in the recently released iOS 18.3 third developer beta, which no longer showcases these summaries for news and entertainment applications.

This decision follows a complaint from the BBC in the previous month. The issue arose when an AI-generated summary incorrectly reported that Luigi Mangione, the primary suspect in the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, had committed suicide. The AI erroneously stated that BBC News had published an article confirming that Mangione had shot himself, which was factually incorrect.

The incident raised concerns about the reliability of information provided by generative AI technologies. Reporters Without Borders, a notable global organization advocating for press freedom, responded by urging Apple to remove the AI summarization feature. They expressed that the generative AI aspect posed a risk to trustworthy journalism.

Additionally, the organization highlighted that incidents like this serve as a reminder that generative AI technology is still not mature enough to guarantee accurate information for public consumption. Vincent Berthier, the Head of the Technology and Journalism Desk at Reporters Without Borders, remarked, "AIs are probability machines, and facts can’t be decided by a roll of the dice. RSF calls on Apple to act responsibly by removing this feature."

Another incident illustrating the platform's inaccuracies involved a summary sent to users of the BBC Sport app. The AI incorrectly stated that Brazilian tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay, when in fact, the article referred to a different player entirely.

In light of these issues, in addition to suspending AI-generated news summaries, the latest update permits users to disable notifications for specific apps directly from the lock screen or the Notification Center. This can be done by swiping, tapping ‘Options,’ and selecting the ‘Turn Off Summaries’ option. Apple will also introduce italicized text on the lock screen, aiding users in distinguishing between notification summaries and regular notifications.

While Apple reassesses its approach to AI-generated news summaries, Google is taking steps in a different direction. The tech giant has established a partnership with The Associated Press (AP) to provide real-time updates for users of its Gemini AI application. Google claims this collaboration will enhance the overall usefulness of the results displayed in the Gemini app.

Apple, AI, news, technology, reporting