The Apple Intelligence summary feature is drawing criticism due to a headline error stating that suspected gunman Luigi Mangione had shot himself, prompting Reporters Sans Frontières to say that the feature itself should be banned.
The non-profit body advises the United Nations, Council of Europe, and other governmental agencies on issues relating to journalism and freedom of information.
The controversy began after the summary feature claimed the suspect in the killing of United Health CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself.
BBC News also stepped in, complaining to Apple about the mistake.
“BBC News is the most trusted news media in the world,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement. “It is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications.”
Apple has still not commented on the problem.
Following up, RSF has now issued a somewhat vague statement in which it could be calling for the outlawing of anything from the Apple Intelligence summary feature to the entirety of generative AI via the following statement:
“Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is very concerned about the risks posed to media outlets by new artificial intelligence (AI) tools after a new Apple product generated a false news alert and attributed it to the BBC. This accident illustrates that generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public, and should not be allowed on the market for such uses.”
RSF technology lead Vincent Berthier got slightly more specific in calling for Apple to act:
“AIs are probability machines, and facts can’t be decided by a roll of the dice. RSF calls on Apple to act responsibly by removing this feature. The automated production of false information attributed to a media outlet is a blow to the outlet’s credibility and a danger to the public’s right to reliable information on current affairs.”
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.