Apple has suspended a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature which generates news notifications after receiving criticism about inaccuracies.
The AI feature, which groups and rewrites notifications from multiple news apps into a single alert on the iPhone lock screen, was launched in the UK in December 2024 with the aim of “making customers lives more efficient.”
However, since then, the service has reportedly been sending customers inaccurate notifications and headlines. These notifications seem as though they come directly from news apps, including the BBC.
The news broadcaster was among those who raised concerns after an artificial intelligence-generated alert erroneously suggested that Luigi Mangione, who has been accused of killing UnitedHealthCare chief executive Brian Thompson, had taken his own life.
Headlines based on news stories from The New York Times, The Washington Post and SkyNews also reportedly had errors.
Earlier this month, Apple said it would launch a new software update making it clearer when a notification is written by AI, in reporting summaries.
At the time, Apple said that AI was responsible for the headlines and that the service remained an option for users with the latest iPhone.
The move came after the BBC raised a formal complaint in December about the inaccuracies.
“A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarisation provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary,” Apple added.
However, the move saw further criticism of Apple’s policy.
Apple has now opted to pause the function for news and entertainment apps.
On Thursday, an Apple spokesperson said: “We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update.
“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.”
In response to Apple’s decision to suspend the feature a BBC spokesperson said that it looks forward to working with the tech giant constructively on next step.
“Our priority is the accuracy of the news we deliver to audiences which is essential to building and maintaining trust,” they continued.
Iona Silverman, an IP and media lawyer at law firm Freeths, said that the feature’s inaccuracies demonstrate that AI is still in its infancy, adding that since the technology is constantly improving, it is important to be careful when using it.
The lawyer noted that Apple’s technology could have easily written defamatory content that was incorrect, with the risk of a very public lawsuit.
“Additionally, there is a very real risk of AI churning out content that infringes someone else’s intellectual property rights, as AI learns from content that is already out there,” she said. “I have seen images created using innocuous prompts incorporating third party brands, which is an obvious no-no. The takeaway here is that businesses need to think carefully as they evolve their use of AI.”