Reporters Without Borders calls on Apple to remove its AI news summaries

The growing prevalence of AI-generated misinformation is creating serious concerns among journalism organizations and media watchdogs, as demonstrated by recent false news summaries produced by Apple’s AI notification system.

Core incident details: Apple’s recently launched AI feature called Apple Intelligence has come under fire for generating multiple false news summaries that spread misinformation.

• The system incorrectly claimed that UnitedHealth shooting suspect Luigi Mangione had died by suicide, when he is actually alive and awaiting trial
• Another erroneous summary falsely stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested based on New York Times coverage
• The BBC has formally complained to Apple about false information being attributed to their reporting

Timeline and scope: The problematic AI system’s rollout and subsequent issues emerged rapidly in the United Kingdom.

• Apple Intelligence launched in the UK on December 11, 2023
• Within 48 hours, the system began generating incorrect news summaries
• The feature is part of Apple’s broader push into AI-powered services

Industry response: Media watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has taken a strong stance against Apple’s AI news summarization technology.

• RSF spokesperson Vincent Berthier emphasized that AI systems, which operate on probability, should not be trusted to determine facts
• The organization is actively calling for Apple to remove the Intelligence feature
• Berthier also criticized European Union lawmakers for not classifying information-generating AIs as “high-risk systems” in recent AI legislation

Broader AI industry context: Apple’s challenges with AI accuracy reflect a widespread issue affecting multiple major technology companies.

• Google’s Gemini and X’s Grok have recently produced similar instances of false information
• Apple CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged that their system isn’t immune to “hallucinations” – a term used to describe when AI generates false information
• These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges of using AI for news summarization and content generation

Looking ahead – the trust deficit: The increasing frequency of AI-generated misinformation raises fundamental questions about the responsible deployment of AI in news delivery systems, particularly as traditional media outlets and tech companies grapple with maintaining public trust while adopting new technologies.