Abel Ndooka
LONDON. – A news summary from Apple falsely claimed darts player Luke Littler had won the PDC World Championship – before he even played in the final.
The incorrect summary was written by artificial intelligence (AI) and is based on a BBC story about Littler winning the tournament semi-final on Thursday night.
Within hours on Friday, another AI notification summary falsely told some BBC Sport app users that Tennis great Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
Apple, which has been contacted for a response, previously declined to comment on similar examples of false AI alerts about news stories.
Apple’s AI software Apple Intelligence launched in the UK in December 2024 with a feature that aims to give users a simple round-up of app alerts they have missed.
It collates the alerts into a single message and then uses AI to summarise what they contained.
The false alert about Littler was seen by users of the BBC News app earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, a separate AI summary told some users of the BBC Sport app that “Brazilian tennis player, Rafael Nadal, comes out as gay”.
That false alert appeared to relate to a story about “trailblazing” Brazilian gay tennis player Joao Lucas Reis da Silva and the impact of his openness about his sexuality on the sport more widely.
A BBC spokesperson said: “It is essential that Apple fixes this problem urgently – as this has happened multiple times.
“As the most trusted news media organisation in the world, it is crucial that audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications.”
The BBC previously complained to Apple about the Apple Intelligence feature when it generated a false headline about a high-profile alleged murder in the US.
Even though this type of summary notification appears to be directly from the BBC, it is in fact Apple Intelligence’s take on much longer headlines.
Other stories in the summaries seen on Friday – including those on South Korea and rising cases of influenza – were reported accurately by Apple Intelligence.
The latest examples come after journalist body Reporters Without Borders (also known as RSF) called on Apple to axe its AI-powered summaries of news stories last month.
“The automated production of false information attributed to a media outlet is a blow to the outlet’s credibility,” Vincent Berthier, the head of RSF’s technology and journalism desk, said in December.
He added it was “a danger to the public’s right to reliable information on current affairs.”
It is likely that most people’s AI-generated summaries are unique as different combinations of notifications are summarised depending on the device being used and the alerts coming through.
BBC Sport app users can follow different sports and receive personalised alerts.
Apple Intelligence is only available on certain iPhones – those using the iOS 18.1 system version or later on recent devices (all iPhone 16 phones, the 15 Pro, and the 15 Pro Max). It is also available on some iPads and Macs.
The grouped notifications are marked with a specific icon, and users can report any concerns they have on a notification summary.
Apple has not outlined how many reports it has received. – BBC
Online Reporter
