Apple Pulls AI News Alerts After Complaints Of Fake Headlines

A minimalist smartphone screen displaying a news app notification.

Apple has been forced to withdraw an AI feature from its news alerts tool after complaints from users of inaccuracies in story headlines for news summaries.

Apple was forced to pull the AI tool in an unexpected move, as the tech giant very rarely responds to public criticism.

“With the latest beta software releases of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Notification summaries for the ‘News & Entertainment’ category will be temporarily unavailable,” a spokesperson from the tech company said.

Apple’s tool inaccurately summarised headlines from major news outlets such as Sky News and The Washington Post and wrongly told users that Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, shot himself.

Other false alerts included the news that English darts player Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts final before it had happened, and another that claimed tennis icon Rafael Nadal had ‘come out’ as gay.

The BBC, journalism group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the UK journalism union National Union of Journalists (NUJ) are among those who complained about the tool, shedding light on concerns about the use of AI in media, particularly when it comes to news content, with some highlighting the likelihood of errors when companies are racing to get out new tech.

Innovation must never come at the expense of the right of citizens to receive reliable information,” said RSF’s technology desk head Vincent Berthier.

The UK’s NUJ welcomed the tool’s withdrawal and said errors like the one seen from Apple highlight the need for “human-centred” approaches in journalism.

“Our calls for its suspension recognised the huge risks to public confidence and trust in journalism; recent errors relayed by AI-generated summaries serve as a stark reminder of how easily misinformation can be fuelled,” said NUJ assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley.

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