Advocacy group calls for removal of Apple's disturbing new feature: 'A danger to the public's right to reliable information'

The introduction of artificial intelligence to newsrooms at first seemed like the perfect solution to the public's growing appetite for short, digestible reporting. However, Apple is under fire after its AI falsely summarized a story.

As detailed by CNN, the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders is calling on Apple to remove its generative AI tool from the market after the AI took liberties when recapping a BBC story about Luigi Mangione, whom the U.S. Justice Department has charged with the stalking and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The AI incorrectly stated Mangione had shot himself.

"A.I.s are probability machines, and facts can't be decided by a roll of the dice," Reporters Without Borders technology and journalism desk chief Vincent Berthier said in a statement. "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."

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The BBC also announced that it had complained to Apple about the false headline, but as of Dec. 13, the tech giant refused to comment on the matter.

Per CNN, this isn't the first time Apple's AI feature falsely summarized a story. In November, recapping a New York Times report, it wrongly stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arrested after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him and other Israeli leaders — a move the White House denounced as "outrageous."

"Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas," President Joe Biden said in an official statement.

Watch now: Industry leaders speak on what gives them hope in the face of climate change

Unfortunately, Apple's generative AI tool isn't the only one flagged for going rogue with the details. Google's AI overview has repeatedly failed to accurately answer a variety of straightforward questions, eroding trust in the technology. Given those issues, some might wonder why investors are high on AI. However, the tech has massive potential.

For example, if realized at scale, projects focused on improved weather forecasting and better crop production could support communities grappling with extreme weather and food insecurity — assuming, of course, that efforts to mitigate AI's environmental impact are successful.

As it stands, some estimates suggest the booming AI market could soon gobble up as much energy as a small country — that's a lot of planet-warming pollution entering the atmosphere given that dirty energy consumption hit record highs in 2023. AI data centers also require massive amounts of water for cooling.

A simplified algorithm is one promising solution to AI's significant resource drain. However, barring further development, CNN readers were skeptical about the tech's ability to provide them with trusted information, echoing the nonprofit's statement that the way AI systems work "automatically disqualifies them as a reliable technology for news media."

"I think there is far too little concern over AI's deficiencies. The economic push to deploy is prevailing over sensible development and testing practices," one commenter suggested.

"AI is all A and no I," another quipped.