Apple has had to put on hold a much-debated piece of artificial intelligence it developed, this one to help users create summaries out of news headlines, due to its recurring failures. Based on an AI-produced digest, the feature was supposed to simplify pending notifications by collecting and summarizing previews into one alert for users’ lock screens.
The service, which started in the UK last December, was criticized after sending out false alerts, including one which claimed that Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, had shot himself.
Why Did the Media and the Public Push Back?
Some of the articles that were summarized inaccurately by the AI include the ones by big and credible news sources, which worsened the public’s opinions towards the effects of AI on the news. Other abuses were reported on social media by journalists and users who requested the suspension of the highlighted feature.
One spokesperson was content with the decision and noted that we’re pleased that Apple has listened to concerns and is pausing the summarization feature for news. This explains why accuracy should be maintained in the construction and management of trust.
Opponents noted that such mistakes erode the trust in media and exacerbate already problematic conditions in the field of misinformation.
How Did Apple Respond to the Backlash?
Apple first pledged to issue a software update explaining to users how artificial intelligence comes up with such summaries. However, as pressure mounted and given the extent of abuse, the company said that it would see the feature disabled for news and entertainment apps.
‘With the latest beta software releases of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3, notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be unavailable’, Apple confirmed.
For the other apps, the AI-generated summaries will continue to generate and be shown as the previous but in italic form to signify that they were auto-generated.
What Does This Mean for Apple’s AI Ambitions?
It was only one part of Apple going deeper into artificial intelligence, an area investors expected to reignite people’s appetite for iPhones and other gizmos. Apple’s strategy in the growingly more competitive technology market was to propose features that implied the device would be smarter and consume less power, such as AI Summaries.
However, suspending the news summary feature is a step backwards regarding these goals. The company’s shares declined to over 4% in trading Thursday due to lower sales in China, which increased concern for the company’s growth.
What’s Next for Apple?
Apple has admitted that AI has created a few summarisation problems and pledged to correct them in a new software update.
Apple has not released a statement admitting problems with the iTunes gift card redemption codes. Still, an Apple representative said, “We are making improvements and will be rolling them out in an upcoming software update.
However, Apple still stresses that this feature has been created to promote the use of the product, therefore improving the user experience. However, only time will tell whether the company can regain the media outlets and user trust.
As one unquoted commentator pointed out, “We have been waiting forward for engaging to be constructive with next phases.”
