Artificial intelligence is taking over globally, which is evident from the 184 billion USD growth in 2024 to the projected market growth of 826 billion USD by 2030. It is no wonder every tech giant wants a piece of the market size. Tech giant Apple made a grand entrance into the AI space by introducing the revolutionary Apple Intelligence, an integrated AI suite for the iOS ecosystem. Barely a year since the launch of one of Apple’s intelligence tools, Apple Intelligence Summaries, is coming under fire for inaccurate and erroneous reports.
Apple Intelligence was initially rolled out on iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The goal of the suite is to enhance the user’s productivity by applying AI generative models based on the user’s context. The suite’s numerous AI features fall into four broad categories:
1. Smarter Siri
Siri finally got a much-needed upgrade and now has ChatGPT fully integrated. This will allow users to ask Siri to tap into ChatGPT when necessary, without switching to the platform. Other updates include better language understanding by Siri even when users stumble over words. Onscreen awareness has also been updated to allow Siri to relay the information displayed on users’ screens.
2. Image Tools
Apple has applied AI to offer users extensive features to aid with images. Some of the new possible tasks include using AI for original image generation from typed input, image cleaning for removing unwanted objects in an image, and the ability to easily and quickly generate original emojis.
3. Language Tools
The language feature AI tools focus on reading the user’s text written on any app on the device to proofread and rewrite it for best communication. Additionally, these tools can generate content for users, such as email responses for user review before sending. The AI language tools can also be used to prioritize the information on your phone, from alerts to emails showcasing content that requires primary attention at the top or center of your screen.
4. Summarization Tools
The AI summaries can be used to summarise any written content available and provide a brief writeup of the information. From transcripts and emails to pop-up notifications, the summaries tool can provide a high-level brief; however, the efficiency of this tool is what is under scrutiny and criticism, especially on summaries of news alerts and articles.
The series of inaccuracies causing the backlash
The Apple Intelligence Summaries tool has been in the spotlight for sharing inaccurately generated news alerts with users. In some instances, the tool’s results have been entirely false but can be easily misinterpreted by users as news from a trusted source. What would have been considered a technological advancement for news alerts seemingly looks like a gamble on a casino website. Some of the most notable and costly errors made by Apple’s AI include:
- November 2024: The Apple AI tool shared several alerts on the New York Times app suggesting that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested, yet the news was that the International Criminal Court had issued warrants for his arrest.
- December 2024: The Apple AI Summaries tool sent a news alert that Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. This alert, as a summary of the BBC news articles on the suspect, was entirely false, as the news was about the suspect’s court hearing.
- January 2025: The Apple AI alert shared breaking news that Luke Littler, an English professional darts player, had won the PDC World Darts Championship, yet the championship game was yet to begin. Additionally, the tool reported on the BBC Sports app that Rafael Nadal, the former Spanish professional tennis player, had come out as gay, while it was Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, a Brazilian tennis player, who had come out as gay.
The National Union of Journalists, the largest union for journalists in the UK and Ireland, renowned journalism body Reporters Without Borders, and media giant BBC have all been vocal about calling out Apple to take down the new generative AI feature. The feature’s numerous erroneous news alerts that are still attributed to media outlets are a detriment to their credibility. Furthermore, these bodies have added that the public has a right to correct and credible news on current affairs, and the Apple AI summaries tool is infringing on that right with misleading news alerts.
Apple’s mitigation measures
In response to the claims of inaccuracies raised by media outlets, Apple made an official statement on Monday, 6th January 2025, acknowledging the errors and sharing that a new update will soon be released to address the concerns. The update will clarify news alerts and identify them as a summarisation from the Apple Intelligence Summaries tool and not the referenced media outlet. The brand reinstated that the Apple AI suite tools were in their beta phase and thus will rely heavily on user feedback to improve the features.
While this measure addresses the concerns raised about possible damage to the credibility of media outlets, a majority of them are still calling for the scrapping of the Apple summaries tool when it comes to news, especially breaking news.
