iPhone AI News Alerts Stopped After Errors

Apple has halted a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that drew criticism and complaints about repeated errors in news headline summaries.

The tech giant faced mounting pressure to pull the plug on the service, which sent notifications that appeared to come from news organizations’ apps.

“We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update,” an Apple spokesperson said.

The BBC was among the groups complaining after an alert generated by Apple’s AI falsely told some readers that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, shot himself.

The feature also inaccurately summarized headlines from the New York Times and Washington Post, according to reports from journalists and others on social media.

The media and press groups had caused the company to withdraw, warning that the feature isn’t ready and that AI-generated errors add to problems of misinformation and falling trust in news.

The BBC complained to Apple in December, but it did not respond until January, when it promised a software update that would clarify the AI’s role in creating the summaries, which are optional and only available to readers with the latest iPhones.

This prompted a a new wave of criticism that the tech giant isn’t going far enough.

Now, Apple has decided to disable the feature entirely for news and entertainment apps.

“With the latest software betas of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable,” an Apple spokesperson said.

The company said that for other apps, AI-generated summaries of app alerts will be displayed in italicized text.

“We’re pleased that Apple has listened to our concerns and paused the News Summary feature,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“We look forward to working constructively with them on the next steps.” Our priority is the accuracy of the news we deliver to the public, which is essential to building and maintaining trust.”

Apple said the feature, which rolled out to UK users in December, aims to make customers’ lives more efficient.

It groups together and rewrites previews of multiple recent app notifications into a single alert on users’ lock screens.

The decision comes as the company faces pressure to showcase its AI developments, which investors had hoped would spark a new wave of demand for the iPhone and other technology.

The company’s shares fell more than 4% in trading on Thursday after reports of sales problems in China.