Apple announced it will update its notification system to indicate better when summaries are generated by artificial intelligence. This move comes after the BBC complained about an incorrect notification summary stating Luigi Mangione, who faced charges for the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Apple’s notification summaries provide users with a brief overview of their notifications.
However, they have faced criticism for errors and the need for more precise indications when AI generates or summarizes information. Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, noted last year that Apple Intelligence does not summarize notifications it deems sensitive, aiming to avoid such mishaps. A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is a summarization provided by Apple Intelligence.
Apple improves AI notification clarity
We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. Other inaccurate summaries include falsely reporting that Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay and that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship hours before the event began.
Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of the Guardian, said Apple needed to go further and pull a product he said was “clearly not ready.” He added the technology was “out of control” and posed a considerable misinformation risk. Apple’s Intelligence features are in beta, according to the company, which also said it is continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback. The feature is only available on iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and Pro Max handsets running iOS 18.1 and above, as well as on some iPads and Macs.
As tech companies grapple with the challenges of AI-generated content, ensuring transparency and accuracy remains paramount. Apple’s latest update is a step towards addressing these concerns and maintaining user trust.
