Apple to refine its AI summaries as accuracy concerns surface
What's the story
Apple has announced plans to change how its devices, including iPhones, display Apple Intelligence-summarized notifications. The move comes after BBC criticized the tech giant's AI technology for inaccurately rephrasing a headline about the UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting suspect. The news organization was concerned over the AI suggesting that Luigi Mangione—the suspect—had shot himself, a detail not reported by them.
Misinterpretations
Further inaccuracies in AI summaries
The BBC also noted other cases where Apple's AI summaries had incorrectly rewritten notifications from its app. One of the cases involved announcing a winner for the PDC World Darts Championship before the event had even ended. Another case saw the AI mistakenly suggesting that tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. The news organization said, "These AI summarizations by Apple do not reflect - and in some cases completely contradict - the original BBC content."
Tech giant's stance
Apple's response and upcoming software update
Addressing these issues, Apple said it would issue a software update in the coming weeks. This update would make it more clear when the text shown is a summarization from Apple Intelligence. The company also explained that getting summaries is optional for users, who can turn off or customize the feature through their device settings.
AI feature
Apple Intelligence's notification summaries
Apple Intelligence's notification summaries are currently marked with a small icon, showing their AI-generated nature. The company confirmed to Engadget that an update to make this identification process better will be rolled out soon. An Apple spokesperson said, "Apple Intelligence is designed to help users get everyday tasks done faster and more easily." They added these optional notification summaries give users a brief overview of information from apps, with full details just a tap away.
Evolution
Apple Intelligence's journey and future improvements
Notification summaries are among the first features of Apple Intelligence, released in iOS (and iPadOS) 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The second phase brought ChatGPT integration and Image Playground in iOS (and iPadOS) 18.2 and macOS 15.2. The company stressed that these features are still in beta testing, with continuous improvements based on user feedback to ensure accuracy and usefulness for its global user base.