False information from Apple Intelligence: BBC complains to Apple
The suspect in a high-profile US murder case had shot himself, according to Apple's false AI summary of a BBC report.
(Image: Montage Mac & i)
Apple Intelligence summarizes iPhone messages – but not always correctly. The BBC has complained to Apple about the AI function of iOS 18 because the operating system incorrectly summarized a headline from the British media broadcaster.
The suspect in the murder of a US insurance boss had shot himself, was the factually incorrect shortening of the BBC headline by Apple Intelligence, as an iPhone screenshot published by the BBC shows. It is not clear what the original headline of the article, which was distributed as a push message, actually read.
(Image:Â Screenshot: BBC)
Further false summaries
For the BBC, it is essential that readers can trust the information published – smartphone messages including –, emphasized a spokesperson for the British public broadcaster. The broadcaster had raised the concerns with Apple and asked the manufacturer to "rectify the problem".
Videos by heise
Such misinformation is not an isolated incident, the BBC said, referring to other reports from social media. These include a push message from the New York Times summarized by Apple Intelligence, according to which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested – This also neither happened nor was it reported by the New York Times. Both screenshots show a misleading summary and correctly shortened headlines by Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence has been summarizing notifications since iOS 18.1
Apple introduced the AI summaries with iOS 18.1. This is automatically offered as a new function when Apple Intelligence is activated. If several messages from an app accumulate on the lock screen, Apple Intelligence provides an AI overview of the content. This was originally only available in US English, but since iOS 18.2 also in British English. This is expected to work in German from April 2025, but even now, Apple Intelligence sometimes summarizes German-language messages in English – sometimes better, sometimes worse.
Quirky message summaries from Apple Intelligence have already caused a stir on several occasions; in the context of private messages – for example in messaging apps – these are sometimes unintentionally funny. Apple still classifies the AI functions as beta.
(lbe)
