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Apple Suspends AI Generated News Alerts After Complaints Of Misleading Headline Errors

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Apple has officially suspended a new artificial intelligence feature on its devices that was meant to summarize news headlines. The suspension comes after new outlets criticized and complained about multiple errors that made the summaries misleading and nearly completely false. 

A spokesperson for Apple said that the company was “working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update.”

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The BBC reported that the journalism body Reporters Without Borders stated these errors are a prime example of major tech companies rushing to roll out new innovative features and how dangerous that can be. 

“Innovation must never come at the expense of the right of citizens to receive reliable information. This feature should not be rolled out again until there is zero risk it will publish inaccurate headlines,” RSF’s Vincent Berthier said.

The BBC itself was one of the major outlets to make a complaint after the AI feature made a headline falsely telling readers that the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, had shot himself. 

According to the BBC’s report, the feature also put out inaccurate headlines from Sky News, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. 

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“There is a huge imperative [for tech firms] to be the first one to release new features,” said Jonathan Bright, head of AI for public services at the Alan Turing Institute.

Apple has disabled the feature for news and entertainment apps a month after initial complaints were made. 

“With the latest beta software releases of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable,” an Apple spokesperson said.

“We’re pleased that Apple has listened to our concerns and is pausing the summarization feature for news,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“We look forward to working with them constructively on next steps. Our priority is the accuracy of the news we deliver to audiences which is essential to building and maintaining trust.”

auto

Toyota Halts Shipments Of Vehicles Amid Auto Safety Scandal In Japan 

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Toyota Motor and Mazda have halted shipments of some of their vehicles amid a safety test scandal currently occurring in Japan. Japan’s transport ministry has found irregularities in safety applications to certify certain models, according to reports from CNN.

The ministry said that the irregularities in the applications were found from Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha Motor. When these automakers applied for safety certification for their vehicles, it was found that they had submitted “incorrect or manipulated safety test data.”

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Japan’s transport ministry initially wanted automakers to investigate certification applications in January. They made this decision because last year, Toyota’s Daihatsu compact car units experienced a safety test scandal. 

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, advisory firms, are recommending that Toyota shareholders vote to not re-elect Akio Toyoda as the chairman during Toyota’s annual general meeting which will be taking place later this month. 

ISS emphasized a “spate of certification irregularities” at the Toyota Group. Toyoda is the grandson of the founder of Toyota. CNN reported that he recently spoke to journalists regarding these recent developments:

 “As the person in charge of the Toyota Group, I would like to sincerely apologize to our customers, to car fans, and all stakeholders for this.”

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Toyota stated that they have temporarily halted shipments of three car models that are made in Japan. 

Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayahi said that the misconduct occurring within these automakers is “regrettable,” as the scandals are reflecting poorly on the Japanese government and their relationship with investors and corporate reforms. 

Toyota stated that their “wrongdoing had occurred during six different tests conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2020. The Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross were the models being affected.

Mazda has also suspended their shipments of the Roadster RF sports car and the Mazda2 hatchback after the automaker found out workers had modified engine control software test results. 

Atenza and Axela models from Mazda also had crash tests that have been tampered with. The airbags in the models had been tampered with so they would go off after a timer, instead of relying on on-board sensors which are meant to detect a crash. The two models are no longer in production.