Jan 07, 2025 05:22 PM IST
The BBC complained to the tech giant last month after the technology generated inaccurate summaries of headlines from the corporation.
Apple has announced plans to update its artificial intelligence tools following complaints from the BBC regarding inaccuracies in summaries of its news headlines. The BBC raised concerns last month after the AI-powered features on the latest iPhones misrepresented a news alert about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The summary inaccurately claimed Mangione had shot himself.
The issue continued last week when Apple’s AI tools, known as Apple Intelligence, provided inaccurate summaries of BBC Sport notifications. One summary falsely stated that Luke Littler had won the World Darts Championship Final hours before the event began, while another inaccurately claimed that Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
Also read: Tata Cliq customer orders Apple AirPods, gets a watch in box, company responds
Apple Intelligence is designed to offer users quick summaries of missed notifications, using AI to generate a brief overview of multiple alerts from different apps. However, the BBC criticized the tool, saying in a statement on Monday, “These AI summarizations by Apple do not reflect – and in some cases completely contradict – the original BBC content. It is critical that Apple urgently addresses these issues as the accuracy of our news is essential in maintaining trust.”
In response to the BBC’s complaints, Apple assured the broadcaster that a software update would be released in the coming weeks to improve the tool. The tech company also emphasized that using the summarization feature is optional, with users able to choose whether to enable the tool. “Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback,” said Apple in a statement. “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.”
Also read: Apple CEO Tim Cook to donate $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund: Report
Apple is not the only tech company facing challenges with AI tools. Google has also faced criticism for inaccuracies in its AI-powered features, including issues with its AI Overviews feature in search results and errors in historical images generated by its image creation tool. As generative AI tools are increasingly deployed by smartphone manufacturers and tech firms, addressing accuracy remains a key concern.
