Apple is pausing it AI-generated notification summaries for news and entertainment apps, after facing criticism over inaccuracies in the notifications. This was confirmed with the latest developer previews for iOS 18.3 update for iPhones, iPads and Macs respectively.
Apple will temporarily disable the feature for news and entertainment apps. The company plans to re-enable the summaries after further refinement to address concerns raised by users and content providers.
Why the change?
The move comes after complaints from the BBC, which claimed that one of its articles was misrepresented in a notification summary. The article, related to the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, inaccurately suggested that Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the murder, had shot himself. This error highlighted the limitations of Apple’s AI system in accurately summarising complex news stories.
In response to the backlash, Apple is revising its notification summary feature to improve transparency and clarity. Starting with the latest updates, notification summaries will now be shown in italics, allowing users to easily distinguish them from standard notifications. This change aims to help users recognise which notifications are AI-generated, as opposed to regular alerts that come directly from apps.
What this mean for users?
For users, these changes provide an important opportunity to customise how they receive information and improve their overall notification experience. If you prefer to have more control over your news and entertainment alerts, the new ability to disable summaries for specific apps could be a helpful option. Additionally, the transparency of seeing summaries in italics and being notified of their beta status can help users make more informed decisions about using the feature.
What next?
While the public beta of iOS 18.3 is expected to roll out next week, it remains unclear when the update will be available to the general public. However, the tweaks to notification summaries are a direct response to user feedback. As the feature returns in future updates, it will likely come with improved accuracy and enhanced transparency, giving users more control over their notification choices.
