Apple has paused its AI-generated summaries for news apps on beta software users, reflecting challenges with its AI technology.
This move follows concerns raised by the BBC about inaccuracies in Apple’s AI-driven news notifications.
The pause is limited to beta users and does not affect those using the stable versions of Apple’s operating systems.
News and entertainment apps like The New York Times displayed a message within the iPhone settings on Thursday, informing users that AI-powered summaries were “temporarily unavailable.”
This pause underscores the challenges Apple faces with its AI technology rollout, which has faced criticism and scrutiny, particularly on social media.
“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 representative told CNBC in a statement.
The spokesperson for Apple stated that the company is working on improvements to the software, which will be included in a future update.
While Apple did not specify when the iOS 18.3 update will be released to
users of the main iPhone operating system, it could take several weeks based on the company’s typical release schedule.
Apple’s decision to pause AI summaries coincided with a 4% drop in its stock, marking the worst trading day since August 5.
The decline was partly attributed to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s comments, made on Monday, suggesting that the Apple Intelligence suite of features has not been driving iPhone sales as expected.
Apple introduced Apple Intelligence in October as a flagship feature for its latest iPhone models, aiming to compete in the AI race sparked by the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022. Despite being heavily promoted in ads and marketing, the AI software has faced various issues.
In response, Apple clarified that the entire Apple Intelligence system is still in beta, and the Thursday update included a disclaimer stating that the AI software may produce unexpected results.
