Prime Highlights:
Apple has temporarily disabled AI-powered news summaries in its beta software for iPhone, iPad, and Mac due to accuracy concerns.
The pause follows reports of misleading news notifications, including false claims about high-profile individuals.
Affected users are those on the beta versions of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, with stable software users unaffected.
Key Background:
Apple has temporarily disabled its Apple Intelligence summaries for news apps on the beta versions of its iPhone, iPad, and Mac software. The decision comes in the wake of concerns raised by the BBC regarding inaccuracies in the AI-generated news notifications. This pause, which affects only users running the beta software, reflects the challenges Apple faces as it integrates artificial intelligence into its ecosystem.
The issue first gained attention when Apple’s AI system had distorted news headlines, leading to misleading and false information being displayed to users. In one widely reported case, the AI system erroneously combined multiple headlines into a three-part notification that falsely suggested an individual had shot themselves. Similar inaccuracies were observed with headlines about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other notable figures. These issues prompted social media backlash and increased scrutiny of the Apple Intelligence system.
In response, Apple confirmed that with the latest beta software releases—iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3—news and entertainment summaries powered by AI would be temporarily unavailable. While Apple assured users that the feature would return after improvements, the company did not provide a timeline for its reactivation. Importantly, the pause is confined to beta users, and those on the stable versions of the operating systems are not affected.
Apple Intelligence, introduced in October, is designed to leverage AI for summarizing notifications, providing users with concise summaries of large volumes of information. However, the AI system has encountered several issues since its debut, including errors in summarizing news content. The system, which includes features such as image generators, has faced criticism for delivering results that can be misleading or nonsensical. Thursday’s update also introduced a new option for users to turn off AI-generated summaries directly from the lock screen, providing greater control over the notifications they receive. Users had previously been able to disable the feature only through the settings app.
Despite these setbacks, Apple remains committed to improving its AI technology, with plans to release further updates in the coming months. However, the company’s stock took a hit on the
same day, closing down 4%, in part due to concerns that Apple Intelligence may not be driving iPhone sales as anticipated.