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Call to ban Apple Intelligence summary feature after Luigi Mangione error

The Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned after it falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione had shot himself, says Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF).

The non-profit body advises the United Nations, Council of Europe, and other governmental agencies on issues relating to journalism and freedom of information …

Luigi Mangione headline error

The controversy began after the summary feature claimed the suspect in the killing of United Health CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself.

Luigi Mangione shoots himself

BBC News complained to Apple about the major mistake.

“BBC News is the most trusted news media in the world,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement. “It is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications.” 

The BBC says it has contacted Apple “to raise this concern and fix this problem.”

Apple has still not commented on the problem.

Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned

RSF has now issued a somewhat vague statement in which it could be calling for the outlawing of anything from the Apple Intelligence summary feature to the entirety of generative AI.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is very concerned about the risks posed to media outlets by new artificial intelligence (AI) tools after a new Apple product generated a false news alert and attributed it to the BBC. This accident illustrates that generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public, and should not be allowed on the market for such uses.

RSF technology lead Vincent Berthier got slightly more specific in calling for Apple to act.

AIs are probability machines, and facts can’t be decided by a roll of the dice. RSF calls on Apple to act responsibly by removing this feature. The automated production of false information attributed to a media outlet is a blow to the outlet’s credibility and a danger to the public’s right to reliable information on current affairs.

The BBC reports that Apple has not yet responded to its own complaint.

Image: 9to5Mac composite of images from the BBC and Steven Van Elk on Unsplash

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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