Apple has announced that it will refine its AI-driven news alerts feature after a series of inaccuracies were reported, including errors that have sparked complaints from the BBC. The company revealed that it is working on a software update to improve the accuracy of news summaries pushed through its latest iPhone models.
The controversy began in December 2024 when an alert generated by Apple’s AI inaccurately reported that Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had taken his own life. The alert was flagged due to the presence of the BBC logo, which suggested it was an official news update from the broadcaster.
A subsequent alert from Apple a week later claimed that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal had publicly announced he was gay. This misinformation also caused confusion among users.
In response to these incidents, Apple communicated to the BBC that it was actively developing an update to “further clarify” the news summaries generated by its Apple Intelligence feature. The company assured that the fix would be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Apple’s AI news alerts are currently available on iPhone 16, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, as well as certain iPad and Mac models, although the feature is still in its beta phase. Apple has been encouraging users to report any further concerns or examples of misleading alerts to assist with ongoing improvements.
Despite these recent setbacks, Apple remains committed to refining its AI systems, with plans to release an updated version of the feature that addresses user feedback and improves accuracy moving forward.