Urgent Warning to iPhone Users About AI Features

Apple Automatically Activates AI Features on Latest iPhones

iPhone users need to pay attention to a recently enabled feature that may pose risks. Following the rollout of the iOS 18.3 update, artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are now turned on by default for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro/Max models. Previously, users had the option to activate these features manually, but this has changed.

With the introduction of AI, Apple Intelligence now extracts information from various applications and performs actions based on that data. However, the technology requires substantial storage space, with estimates indicating it can consume around 7GB, regardless of the device in use.

Experts have raised concerns about the potential dangers associated with the AI system, especially with its Notification Summaries feature. This feature is designed to group multiple notifications from one app into a concise summary to enhance readability. Although this sounds helpful, there have been noted issues where Notification Summaries misinterpreted notifications, leading to misleading or entirely incorrect headlines.

Petros Iosifidis, a media policy professor at City University in London, expressed caution, stating that while the feature has advantages, the current technology has shortcomings that could allow for the spread of misinformation.

If you have updated to iOS 18.3 and prefer not to use the AI functionality, you will need to adjust the settings manually. To do this, users should open the Settings app, scroll down to locate Apple Intelligence & Siri, and toggle off Apple Intelligence. A confirmation will appear asking to "Turn Off Apple Intelligence."

Apple's Response and Privacy Considerations

The AI features integrated into the latest iPhone models aim to streamline everyday tasks, according to Apple. However, the company has already disabled the feature for notifications related to news and entertainment, acknowledging issues and working towards a solution. It’s important to note that Notification Summaries can still summarize other types of notifications, such as IMessage, although inaccuracies have been reported.

Privacy advocates, such as Chip Hallett, warn that Apple Intelligence could potentially access sensitive information from applications on your device. He emphasized that this system will learn how you interact with banking apps, financial tools, and mapping services, raising concerns about data security and privacy.

The matter is still under discussion, and users are urged to stay informed about these changes and adjust their device settings according to their preferences.

iphone, ai, update