Apple urged to remove AI tool after multiple misleading headlines

Journalism organisation RSF has urged Apple to remove its new generative AI feature following a misleading headline about a high-profile murder case in the United States.

The BBC has also lodged a complaint with the tech giant after its AI-powered summary tool, Apple Intelligence, falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the alleged murder of healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York, had shot himself. The headline, which was generated by the AI, made it appear that the BBC had published this information, which was not true.

The mistake was highlighted on Bluesky by journalist Ken Schwencke with the US investigative journalism website ProPublica.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Apple to withdraw the feature, citing concerns over the risks AI poses to media outlets. RSF argued that the BBC incident demonstrated that generative AI services are still too immature to provide reliable information to the public.

Vincent Berthier, head of RSF's technology and journalism desk, said, "AIs are probability machines, and facts can't be decided by a roll of the dice. 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 notification, which made the false claim about Mangione, was otherwise accurate regarding other summaries, including updates on the situation in Syria and South Korea. Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Thompson’s death.

Apple Intelligence, which launched in the UK last week, allows users to group notifications, providing a summary of news stories and updates. However, the AI has faced criticism for producing inaccurate summaries, including a similar incident with The New York Times in November. 

Apple Intelligence is available on iPhones running iOS 18.1 or later, and it can also be used on some iPads and Macs. Users can report issues with the summaries, but Apple has not disclosed how many reports it has received.