New Delhi, India

Apple is under intense scrutiny after its AI-powered notification service mistakenly generated a false news alert attributed to the BBC, claiming that Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, had shot himself. The error, broadcast on iPhones, prompted the BBC to file a formal complaint with Apple, emphasising the potential damage to its reputation as a trusted news source. 

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What happened?

The controversy arose from Apple's recently launched Apple Intelligence service, which aggregates news alerts using artificial intelligence. This feature is only available on select iPhones running on iOS 18.1 or later (iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max). It is also available on some iPads and Macs.

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Among its notifications was a fabricated alert suggesting that the BBC had reported Luigi Mangione's suicide. Mangione, 26, is currently in custody in Pennsylvania and is awaiting extradition to New York following his arrest for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

The misleading notification, sent to BBC subscribers, read, "Luigi Mangione shoots himself." 

BBC responds  

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The BBC responded swiftly, and the publication's spokesperson said, "BBC News is the most trusted news media in the world" adding that "it is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications".

The broadcaster confirmed it had lodged a complaint with Apple over the incident, demanding stricter safeguards to prevent future errors.

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Apple's AI struggles  

According to reports, this is not the first instance of Apple Intelligence misrepresenting news. 

On November 21, the service inaccurately compiled content from the New York Times, sending a notification that in part read "Netanyahu arrested," falsely claiming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested. The error arose from a report regarding an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court rather than the actual news of Netanyahu's arrest.

(With inputs from agencies)